A primary goal of the V Congress of the National Liberation Army (ELN) on the international stage was —and continues to be— the pursuit of international recognition for the terrorist group as a belligerent force and the promotion of an anti-imperialist agenda across Latin America.
In this installment, we conclude this cycle of disseminating the document “Revolutionary War, Popular Power, and a New Nation,” which emerged from the congress held in January 2015. Its principles and proposals have been underway over the years with the aim of establishing a communist system in Latin America —by any means necessary—.
The document further outlines the guidelines of insurgent legality and community law, functioning as mechanisms to legitimize Popular Power and construct a new socialist legal system that opposes state sovereignty.
Finally, internal dynamics in Colombia are examined, including the economic re-primarization —a return to the dominance of the primary sector—, the influence of drug trafficking, paramilitarism, and the resurgence of popular and insurgent movements in Colombia and, by extension, throughout the region.
Popular Power and the Systemic Crisis of Capitalism
The document reveals a dual strategy employed by the terrorist group National Liberation Army (ELN), which combines armed struggle with the construction of an alternative political and social project, labeled “Popular Power.” They aim to legitimize their struggle internationally, build a backbone of support, and counter U.S. influence in the region, positioning themselves as an emerging global anti-imperialist block.
The ELN argues that there exists a systemic crisis of capitalism within the global context that reflects the decline of U.S. hegemony and the rise of alternative powers like the BRICS. In Latin America, it identifies a clear geopolitical dispute between a neoliberal block aligned with the U.S. and an alternative, anti-imperialist block led by ALBA countries. Colombia is seen as a key military platform for U.S. interests in the region.
On a national scale, the ELN diagnoses that Colombia is in a “period of transitions,” characterized by heightened fissures within the ruling elite —the Santos-Uribe conflict at that time and currently Petro-Uribe—, the resurgence of the popular movement since 2007, and the reorganization and revitalization of the insurgent movement following a period of intense state offensive.
The ultimate goal is to move toward a political solution to the conflict that allows for the construction of a “new nation” with a socialist orientation, based on a system of “insurgent legality” and “community law” that breaks state sovereignty in territories under its influence.
International Vision and Strategy
The ELN defines a clear set of objectives for its international policy, aimed at strengthening its global position and articulating its struggle with like-minded movements.
General objectives:
- Global awareness of the nature of the social and armed conflict in Colombia, as well as the struggles of the people and the ELN itself.
- Gathering support for a negotiated political solution to the conflict.
- Achieving status as a belligerent force and recognition for its proposal of a “new government of nation, peace, and equity.”
- Contributing to the formation of a “World Front for the self-determination of peoples, for peace, and against imperialist war.”
- Promoting Latin American integration.
Strategic action guidelines:
- Establish a solid support base abroad.
- Build channels of diplomacy both at the institutional level (with governments and organizations) and popular level (with social movements and organizations).
- Combat U.S. interference in the region and encourage resistance against U.S. military bases in Latin America.
- Support and coordinate with other peoples’ struggles for their liberation and sovereignty.
- Develop a specific strategy for border areas.
- Advance diplomatic efforts within the United States.
Construction of a Counter-Power
One of the conceptual cornerstones of the ELN is the establishment of an alternative legitimacy and ordering to that of the Colombian state in the territories where it operates.
The goal is to undermine state sovereignty through the creation of a counter-power that provides political goods such as justice and security. This is achieved through the development of insurgent legality.
Insurgent legality is the set of norms and mechanisms developed by the ELN as a rebel force to govern and regulate life in its insurgency status, operating outside the state’s frameworks.
Community law consists of the set of norms —often unwritten— that rural and urban communities have historically developed. This includes popular mandates, codes of coexistence, and demands arising from social mobilizations.
In this vein, it is necessary to:
- Respect and coordinate with the legal systems of indigenous, Afro-descendant, and neighboring community peoples.
- Study and collect international norms that justify the right to rebellion to strengthen its own legitimacy.
- Rationalize and document existing community law.
- Advance the development of an insurgent penal code and procedure that reconciles the rights of the accused and victims.
- Equip social movements with legal-political tools to defend themselves against state terrorism and dispossession.
- Develop alternative regulations to defend territories against large capital projects that affect the environment and community life.
- Formulate guidelines for militants in case of capture and proposals to confront the criminalization of social protest.
Analysis of the Global Context
According to the ELN and its Marxist view of global economics and geopolitics, the capitalist system is undergoing a structural crisis that opens up opportunities for revolutionary forces.
They assert that capitalism develops in long cycles (50-60 years), and the most recent recessive phase, which began in the 1970s with the oil crisis and the imposition of neoliberalism, has been prolonged indefinitely.
They contend that the current crisis is not merely economic but extends to the energy, environmental, food, water, urban, and values sectors. It is a crisis of the system as a whole.
They claim that we are witnessing the decay of U.S. hegemony, demonstrated by economic weakening, while an alternative block is rising, notably the BRICS, formed as a global alternative block that imposes new economic rules and demands political multilateralism.
They mention that, despite its military supremacy, the U.S. shows signs of decline, as its military apparatus can destroy countries but no longer possesses the neo-colonial management capabilities to govern them.
The document establishes that the current imperialist strategy is characterized by:
Military Dominance:
The imperialist triad (U.S., EU, Japan) maintains its dominance through military power, exercised mainly through NATO.
Wars of Dispossession:
Today’s wars are characterized as conflicts over the control of natural resources, especially mineral-energy, in regions such as North Africa and the Middle East.
Siege Against Rivals:
The U.S. implements a military and political siege against its main geostrategic enemies: China and Russia. The conflict in Ukraine is interpreted as part of this strategy.
Sionist Influence:
The Zionism that governs Israel controls key institutions in the U.S. (Senate, military-industrial complex, finance, media), placing the imperial apparatus at the service of its interests.
Latin America: A Geopolitical Battlefield
The region is viewed as a central stage in the confrontation between U.S. imperialism and popular, progressive forces.
Since 1823, the U.S. has treated the continent as its sphere of influence, using invasions, coups, and military control to plunder its riches.
Colombia is described as the new School of the Americas and an advanced command post of the Pentagon. Plan Colombia and agreements with NATO make it a platform for continental operations.
The “soft coup” (a mix of economic, media, and military actions) is utilized to overthrow popular governments while maintaining military pressure against Venezuela and Brazil.
Configuration of Regional Blocks
BlockLeadership and CountriesCharacteristics
Neoliberal BlockPacific Alliance (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile)Rightist governments, unwavering supporters of imperialism and the neoliberal model.Anti-Imperialist BlockALBA (Cuba, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, etc.)Leftist governments with anti-imperialist stances promoting anti-capitalist measures.Neo-Developmentalist BlockMercosur (mainly Argentina and Brazil)Progressive governments seeking to restore state intervention in the economy without breaking with capitalism.
Economic and Social Dynamics
The document argues that neoliberalism has caused regional economies to rely on mineral-energy extraction and export agroindustry.
China has become a crucial trading partner and source of credit for the region, surpassing the U.S. and the World Bank in loans.
Social movements are key to bringing leftist and progressive governments to power. However, these governments face enormous challenges: imperialist aggression, sabotage by local oligarchies, bureaucracy, corruption, and the difficulty of overcoming the extractivist model.
They estimate that Colombia —and the region in general— is currently at a transitional moment. New trends are emerging: a rise and reorganization of the mass movement, an intensification of conflicts within the dominant bloc, and progress in the reorganization and unity of the insurgency.
They note that the popular movement is experiencing a resurgence and reorganization since 2006-2007, marked by an increase in militant mobilizations. However, weaknesses such as dispersion, lack of advancements in urban movements, and the insufficiency of the labor movement are acknowledged.
They assert that the insurgent movement has entered a phase of rejuvenation, manifested in its ability to respond to enemy offensives, reconnect with the masses, make strides in rapprochement between insurgent forces (FARC-ELN), and seize the political opportunities opened by dialogue processes.