The Combination of All Forms of Struggle

Gonzalo Sánchez-Gómez, emeritus professor at the National University of Colombia and former director of Colombia's National Centre for Historical Memory:
Drawing on an impressive set of documents and field interviews, this book illuminates the trajectory of the Colombian armed conflict. Phelan carefully explores the history of the peace process, showing why it stands as a model for future efforts to achieve transitional justice. An essential text for students, academics, and experts in negotiation and theories of armed conflict resolution.

Bruce Hoffman, Georgetown University:
The Combination of All Forms of Struggle is an important contribution to the literature on how terrorist and insurgency campaigns end. Using Colombia as a case study, Phelan’s incisive analysis, based on extensive and meticulous fieldwork, provides fresh insights into how nonstate actors build legitimacy through a combined strategy of violence and negotiation.

Nazih Richani, author of Systems of Violence: The Political Economy of War and Peace in Colombia:
This book is a welcomed addition to the growing literature on Colombia’s turbulent history and civil wars. Phelan skillfully delves into the struggle for political power and legitimacy between the state and its main opponent, the armed Marxist rebels of FARC.