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“Democracy and Displacement in Colombia’s Civil War has all of the hallmarks of a classic work on forced migration and Colombian politics. It is a pleasure to read, well argued, and carefully researched.”  

“Abbey Steele has written an amazing, disturbing book with implications for conflicts far beyond Colombia. I thank her for writing it.”  

“Democracy and Displacement in Colombia’s Civil War offers novel and important research on how and why violence is deployed during civil wars. This book is an important contribution to the study of civil wars, displacement, Colombia, and democratization.”  

“Democracy and Displacement in Colombia’s Civil War could be hastily summarized as well-written, detailed, and carefully crafted research on Colombia’s civil war and the consequences for internal displacement. However, Steele’s work far exceeds mere navel-gazing at the bloody and fascinating politics of Colombia, offering a richness and depth that should interest not only scholars of contentious politics but the policy makers tasked with taking action.”

“Steele (Univ. of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) examines the relationship between elections and displacement in Colombia. She expertly draws together her fieldwork in Apartadó with quantitative study of election data across Colombia…. This work will become essential reading for academics and practitioners interested in Colombia or the broader thematic areas of irregular warfare and insurgency, forced migration, and conflict and democratization.”  

“Drawing on extensive archival work and interviews, Abbey Steele’s book offers an engaging account of the history and evolution of the Colombian civil war and develops a compelling theory of the variation in civilian displacement within it…. This impressive contribution convincingly and disturbingly shows how elections introduced to engender peace can be turned into tools of war.”