The Price of Weakness Hydrocarbon Looting and the Erosion of the Colombian State

Abstract

Colombia’s hydrocarbon sector faces an acute security and governance crisis, characterized by systemic looting of oil and its derivatives. This crisis is not the result of sporadic criminal behaviour, but the product of deeply entrenched structural weaknesses in the Colombian state. These vulnerabilities are embedded within historical patterns of governance designed to uphold unequal power structures and extractive economic models, rather than to provide inclusive development or effective territorial control. Instead of being a failed version of a strong state, Colombia exemplifies what scholars call an exceptionally well-crafted weak state — one that functions effectively for certain interests while systematically excluding others.