Book excerpt: Why is Colombia so violent? Beyond even the horrors of the conflict between the guerrilla, the paramilitary, and the government, the history of the nation is scarred by acts of violence. It has also been marked by resistance to that history--by moments of hope.The Persistence of Violence transcends the obvious places as sources and indices of this story, delving into the complex and conflicted world of popular culture, from football to television to tourism to the environment.