Transcending the inter-intra divide. A theoretical inquiry into the transnational dimensions of civil war and its repercussions on international crises in light of the Colombia-Venezuela case

Abstract

For scholars of Venezuela and Colombia the transnational dimensions of the Colombian armed con ict are an evident and hardly new fact. In the international literature in the  elds of Con ict Studies and International Relations, however, some of the aspects of how Colombia’s internal con ict have affected the bilateral relations between Bogota and Caracas are hardly considered. In this paper we argue that the dominant orthodoxy that distinguishes between internal and external con ict stands in the way of a comprehensive understanding of how armed con ict within states can affect disputes among states. We provide a review of existing studies on internal strife and inter-state con ict, and identify the main factors they have singled out as connecting both dimensions. These factors are evaluated in light of the Colombo-Venezuelan crises between 2006-2010. We propose that a model transcending the inter-intra divide needs to analyze factors against the backdrop of two relevant conditions, namely state capacity and international rivalry. The paper concludes with a re ection on the way future research could take.