cannabisnews.com: War in Colombia: The U.S. Role! War in Colombia: The U.S. Role! Posted by FoM on August 05, 1999 at 16:30:43 PT By Bernard Aronson Source: Washington Post Last week the Clinton administration's national drug coordinator, retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, called the latest upsurge in guerrilla violence in Colombia an "emergency" and a "regional crisis." The president said events in Colombia -- where 90 percent of the cocaine and nearly half the heroin that reaches the United States originate -- affect U.S. "national security." And prominent members of Congress warned Colombia could become a "narco-guerrilla state."But neither the administration nor Congress acts as if it believes those statements are true. After Colombian President Andres Pastrana's election in July 1998, President Clinton twice welcomed him to the White House, the second time for a state visit, in a laudable effort to boost nascent peace negotiations. But since then, neither the president nor the secretary of state, who are daily and deeply involved in supporting peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, has paid sustained attention to Colombia, which, with 40 million citizens, is the second most populous nation in South America. Congress tripled U.S. military assistance to Colombia this year, making it the third-largest recipient of U.S. security assistance in the world, after Israel and Egypt. At the same time, House Republicans have vilified the State Department's contacts with the largest Colombian guerrilla group, the FARC, as "soft on narco-trafficking," although those contacts were requested by President Pastrana as part of his negotiating strategy. Meanwhile, the Senate has failed to act on the administration's nomination of a new assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs.Unfortunately, the peace process in Colombia, which began with high hopes and broad popular support, is faltering. The guerrillas are bringing terror to Colombia's cities. Paramilitary forces, financed by drug traffickers and landowners, are escalating violence against civilian guerrilla "supporters" and Colombia's embattled human rights community. Colombia's neighbors -- Peru, Venezuela and Panama -- voice fears the war is spilling over their borders. And Colombia's economy, historically the best managed in Latin America, is suffering through a deep recession, its first in 40 years. The blame rests with the guerrillas, who have taken advantage of territory ceded to them as a gesture of goodwill by Pastrana to spread the war to the cities while stalling on negotiations. Pastrana, who has shown great courage in pursuing peace, also has failed to involve Colombian civil society in the negotiations, field an experienced negotiating team or reach out effectively to the international community. But the United States and the democratic community also have failed to give Colombia the support it needs and deserves.Here is what the U.S. executive and Congress should do:Strengthen Colombia's economy: President Pastrana cannot wage either peace -- or, if necessary, war -- effectively if investor dollars flee because of fears about the future. Colombia's economic team has taken tough reform measures, but the nation needs a vote of confidence. The administration should signal the International Monetary Fund, which is considering a $3 billion support package for Colombia, as well as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and friendly donor nations to provide maximum support for the country. Congress should extend the Andean Trade Preference Initiative, set to expire in 2001, which provides duty-free access to Colombian products. Forge a bipartisan strategy: Rather then fight over military aid vs. support for negotiations, the administration and Congress together should send one clear message to all the actors in Colombia: The United States will aggressively support a negotiated settlement to the conflict and marshal resources to fund a final agreement. But if the guerrillas refuse to negotiate in good faith, the United States will support a long-term effort to modernize the Colombian armed forces, conditioned on continued progress in rooting out human rights abusers from the military and a concrete program to disband the paramilitaries.Mobilize international support: As we learned in El Salvador, Colombia needs the active involvement and support of democratic nations in Latin America and Europe and multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations and the Organization of American States, to negotiate a peace settlement, field the peacekeeping forces needed to enforce it, and fund the government reforms and economic alternatives to drug cultivation, which will be part of any final settlement. Colombia must ask for such assistance, but such an international coalition can be assembled only with the leadership of the United States.Talk to the guerrillas: Neither the guerrillas nor government can defeat the other decisively, so ultimately, the war, now 40 years old, with deep social and political roots, must end through negotiations. An executive and congressional bipartisan delegation should tell the guerrillas directly: If their agenda is political, as well as social reform, economic alternatives to drug trafficking and safe space to enter the democratic process, the United States will be supportive. If their agenda is to wage a war of terror on Colombian democracy, financed through drug trafficking and kidnapping, the democratic community will resist.Contrary to conventional wisdom, the United States usually goes wrong in Latin America not when it intervenes too quickly but when it fails to pay attention until problems mushroom into crises, our politics become polarized and all the policy choices are bad. Both the American people and the Colombian people deserve better from our elected leadership.The writer was assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs from June 1989 to July 1993. Thursday, August 5, 1999; Page A23 © Copyright 1999 The Washington Post CompanyDrug War in Jungles Heats Up - 8/01/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2304.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by jennifer horn on April 04, 2001 at 10:35:05 PT: columbia and the US Columbia happens to be the second most biologicaly diverse country in the world only to Brazil which is twice as large. Not only is it imoprtant for human rights now but also for the right of our children to the benefits of a biologicaly diverse planet. It is both humanitairly and ecologically (there really is no difference) imparative necessity to "save Columbia." The war on drugs in america is over, just not every one has admitted it. I don't know how a black market could be good for gov. how do they make tax $ on it? I can see the prisions.... Decriminalization is the way to go. If people wanna they're gunna no matta what you do. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Spartacus on March 24, 2001 at 19:43:23 PT All I am saying is give peace a chance I believe any group that infringes on another's human rights or traffics an illegal substance should be stopped, but is that the United States's job? If the gurilla forces and the Columbian Goverment ever try to negotiate the United States should try to do anything to help, but as far as us lending money or sending troops over to Columbia, that's a mistake. We did it once and we failed. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Freedom Fighter on August 06, 1999 at 12:39:31 PT Be the first on your block ... to have your kid come home in a pine box. Sounds like Vietnam all over again. There is a better way. Peace... [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 05, 1999 at 21:27:33 PT Thanks for your comment Thanks for your comment. This drug war needs to stop just because it is an immoral war. People that use drugs don't harm anyone but themselves. Why can't families take care of their own like they use to do? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Exposed on August 05, 1999 at 19:56:01 PT An easy solution There is an easy solution to Columbia's problems. Most of the drugs produced in Columbia are used by Americans, purchased on the U.S. Governmenbt approved black market. It helps keep that tax money rolling in. If all drugs were legalized and regulated by the federal government, the black market sorces would dry up with no place to sell, and kids in the U.S., who can currently get those same drugs on the street easier than getting a beer, would have a harder time convincing a well regulated store to sell to them. Of course, the drugs and marijuana would be taxed, making billions, but the industries that support the drug war would make far less. And interestingly enough, those same industries are the ones wanting to keep drugs illegal. This includes our regular law enforcement, prisons, pharmaceuticals and alchohol industries, as well as drug (marijuana) testing. Who really benefits from the current drug war? Not the kids on the streets and not the average citizen. The drugs are cheaper and easier to get on the black market than ever before. Only those mentioned above and the dealers on the black market are benefitting. When law enforcement uses the least effective and most expensive methods to fight a war, then you are witnessing a determined affort by those same people to get our kids addicted to drugs so they can keep the cycle going. So when a politition votes for more law enforcement, he is voting to keep our nation drug addicted. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: