“Theatre State” in conflict settings: Analysis on the theatricalization of justice in Mexico and Colombia

Abstract

Neither Mexico nor Colombia are the first states involved in a drug war. Beyond the discussion regarding the consequences and possibilities of defeating such a peculiar and ephemeral alleged enemy, it is worth making a comparative analysis aimed at identifying the extent to which State-building dynamics, perception of security, and law enforcement, were similar in each case. This article explores and contrasts how the idea of State was defined and redefined, in both Colombia and in Mexico. The approach takes a particular angle of law enforcement as a basis for analysis, i.e., cases involving acts related to this war, in which law enforcement was simulated or mere pretense.