(Narcotics Trafficking and Violence): This chapter addresses the rise of narco-trafficking, its impact on Colombian society, and the responses of various governments to this challenge.
Under Uribe, homicide rates fell by 80%, kidnapping collapsed, and the FARC was pushed to the margins. But the cost was a expansion of state surveillance, false positives (thousands of civilians killed and dressed as guerrillas to inflate body counts), and a profound political polarization: the country divided between uribistas (who saw salvation) and anti-uribistas (who saw a war criminal). Historia minima de Colombia
(The Regeneration): This chapter covers the period of political and economic reforms implemented during the late 19th century, which aimed to modernize the country. (The Regeneration): This chapter covers the period of
Today, Colombia is a nation of rumors. The rumor that the trains will run again. The rumor that the murdered leaders will finally rest. The rumor that a boy born in a vereda (a dirt-road hamlet) can become a Nobel Prize winner (García Márquez did). The rumor that the murdered leaders will finally rest
The book is divided into 11 chapters, each focusing on a specific period or theme in Colombian history. The chapters are: