El Behemoth colombiano: teoría del Estado, violencia y paz

The building of the modern state in Europe was part of an historic process that reacted to the violence of the Wars of Religion (16th to 17th centuries) and established the bases of peace and order for modern life in the West. This article reviews the theoretical bases of the theory of the state in terms of a Hobbesian dualism, symbolized by the figures of Leviathan (peace, order) and Behemoth (violence, anomie), in order to examine the historic failure in Colombia to construct a modern state. In effect, Colombia has been unable to construct an impersonal entity capable of subduing its multiple armed competitors and creating the conditions for peace and order.