Death Squads or Self-Defense Forces?: How Paramilitary Groups Emerge and Challenge Democracy in Latin America

In an era when the global community is confronted with challenges posed by violent nonstate organizations — from FARC in Colombia to the Taliban in Afghanistan — our understanding of the nature and emergence of these groups takes on heightened importance. Julie Mazzei’s timely study offers a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics that facilitate the organization and mobilization of one of the most virulent types of these organizations, paramilitary groups (PMGs).

Mazzei reconstructs in rich ...