A highly original, well researched and provocative re-reading of what the author calls the global 'genocide script'. Genocide is contextualised and explored through the complex dynamics surrounding the systematic killing of members of the Patriotic Union in Colombia. Both this dark period in Colombia's history and the meanings attached to genocide are illuminated.Jenny Pearce, Professor of Latin American Politics, University of Bradford, UK. Andrei Gomez-Suarez maps the historical and political terrain leading to and following the annihilation of the Union Patriotica (UP). He reveals the usual suspects and the strange bedfellows allied in the politicide that set back the country in its earlier peace efforts. This book is an important reference for understanding the complexity behind Colombia's history of armed conflict and its struggle for peace.Leigh Payne, Professor of Sociology of Latin America and Director of the Latin American Centre, University of Oxford, UK.