Abstract
Nation-state building in Colombia took place in a scenario of disputes between illegal, armed actors, political instability, an insurgent struggle, drug trafficking and social inequality. This complicated the implementation of models of national cohesion, state modernisation and the establishment of democracy - projects that in many cases had an impact only in urban centres and were totally unknown in the rural periphery.
However, there were also policy proposals that sought inclusive and transformative reforms of the status quo. This essay presents the Colombian case as an example of the current European moment.
The Colombian expansions and contractions in crisis scenarios planted responses to armed conflicts, an invaded politics of neopopulism and the rise of fake news. In this sense, migratory processes, the emergence of separatist policies and the rise of extremist and populist parties in Europe reflect the previous experience of Colombia, a country that turns its crises into a vehicle to project itself into the future.