This book is the first major analysis of British foreign policy in Colombia after the Second World War, demonstrating how the tools and technologies of British imperial control were commodified and exported to Latin America amid the growth of US hegemony in the region. It draws on newly declassified archival material and oral history interviews to show how the modern Anglo-Colombian relationship was constructed and maintained through security collaboration, which involved covert operations by MI6, the Information Research Department, and the Special Air Service (SAS). The goal was to improve the Colombian state’s capacity to deal with common enemies such as guerrilla insurgencies and drugs traffickers and promote Britain’s wider objectives of improving the climate for foreign investment, preserving capitalist stability, and maintaining a foothold in Latin America. This book therefore integrates Latin America into the history of Britain’s post-colonial security operations, revealing how Britain’s relations with Colombia were far more important than previously known and disrupting prevailing narratives surrounding US domination of the region.

Kevin John McEvoy is a historian and investigative journalist. He received his PhD from the University of Liverpool, UK, in October 2024 and has published on British foreign policy in Latin America in the International History Review and Contemporary British History journal. He has held teaching positions at the University of Liverpool and Lancaster University, and given lectures at University College London (UCL), Sheffield University, Universidad de Chile, and University of Liverpool. John is also Chief Reporter at Declassified UK. His investigative journalism focusses on British foreign policy in Latin America and the Middle East.