The Patrimonialization of Security. Bolivarian Circles, Genesis of the Loss of the Monopoly on the Use of Force in Venezuela and Its Influence in the Americas (2001–2003)

This research explores the transition of security management in Venezuela between 2001 and 2003. During this period, a process of gradual loss of the monopoly on the use of force began, thanks to the role played by the Bolivarian Circles and their contribution to this process.

Likewise, the symbiotic relationship between these groups and the government of Hugo Chávez is investigated, demonstrating how the president favored the establishment of a legitimized system of criminal governance and a progressive erosion of institutional integrity. Delving into the metamorphosis of the Bolivarian Circles, the results of our analysis offer us a vision of their evolution, which starts from structures of citizen participation to the patrimonialization of security, privatization of public functions, instruments of function usurpation, political domination, and oppression.

The research details how the government strategically managed these groups to consolidate its power, while exposing the interactions between these circles and the state security forces, outlining the emergence of a new order of authority that blurs the boundaries between the state and the criminal. Additionally, it considers how this reconfiguration, a product of these processes that influenced power and security in Venezuela, had repercussions beyond its borders, affecting the stability of the Latin American region.