Cities as nodes of conflict: The role of transnational corporations in urban supply chain conflicts

Much conflict studies scholarship on cities has focused on post-war urban reconstruction. However, high rates of violence and perceptions of urban insecurity, particularly in Latin America, have diluted the clear distinction between armed conflict and peace. From a different perspective, logistics studies have pointed out the conflictive impacts of goods movement on urban communities where efficient supply chains are the ultimate priority. This contribution offers an explorative reading of the 2021 protests in Colombia (‘paro urbano’) as the manifestation of a conflict in supply chain urbanism, and foregrounds the role of TNCs (transnational corporations) in escalating the conflict. Particularly in the city of Cali, protesters blocked roads and access for businesses for weeks. While contesting the national government and highlighting the extreme urban inequality exacerbated by policies primarily catered to TNCs and direct investments, they employed the role of the city as an essential logistics node as leverage in the conflict.