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Newsweek article on Plan Colombia (a failure of sorts)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9025208/site/newsweek/

While many critics site the failure as a) no drop in prices of Cocaine in USA & b) Coca growth is NOT effected at all!

Most Critic acknowledge the secondary "benefit" of Plan Colombia, or as Newsweek put it's

..The lion's share of the U.S. aid earmarked for Plan Colombia has gone to the national police and the armed forces in the shape of helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, other equipment and training programs. By most accounts, the assistance and training have bolstered the counterinsurgency capabilities of the military—which has seen the number of troops ready for combat rise by 60 percent since 1999—and extended the reach of the central government. "Without Plan Colombia, the police and military would not have the additional ability they now have to combat irregular [armed] groups and drug trafficking," says Alfredo Rangel, director of the Bogota-based Security and Democracy Foundation think tank. "The state has acquired a greater degree of control over territory in good measure thanks to Plan Colombia."..

So looks like we have Plan Colombia to PARTIALLY thank for improved(less crime) security situation in Colombia.

Maybe our politician should shift the money to non-narcotics efforts, they seem to be paying off better than spraying fields..

On my flight back to Miami fr Medellin, i was sitting with a COL emergency room doctor who worked over 10 years in Medellin. He told me that 10 yrs ago, Medellin was VERY DANGEROUS, lots more crime and violence, between the gangs and guerilla fighting INSIDE Medellin. Now he said, all that is gone and Medellin is the safest it's been. 10 yrs ago, most people coming to the emergency room was victims of stabbing, shooting, & bombing! Now he said, it's car/motorcycle accidents(lots), strokes and heart attack victims. Plus lots of victims of drugging(primarily on payday), thieves drug some drunk guy and roll him for money. I asked him didn't he see the SAME number of strokes and heart attack 10 yrs ago? He replied, "NO!, people die young back then, men died around 35-40"

So i asked him what and how did Medellin change to become a safer city? He replied, "increase police/army presences IN THE CITY and better economic prospects." He said, the police and military increase started happen with Uribe as governor, Uribe started pouring more money into security, paying cops more and hiring more of them. With the increase security, businesses were able to grow hence employed more jobs. So after reading the NEWSWEEK article, i cant help but wonder if part of the additional funding Uribe got for MEdellin, was from Plan Colombia. If it was, then i would say Plan Colombia IS MAKING COL SAFER.

By caslug on Aug 27, 2005, 10:37 in Friendly Talkzone.

cam0940 says on Aug 27, 2005, 13:20:

Typo No drop in prices of cocaine in the US could not be cited as evidence that Plan Colombia is failing. If they really were ebbing the flow of cocaine, the price would skyrocket. Which, of course, would lead to more drug related crime in the U.S. The fact that it ISN'T happening, supports those that say Plan Colombia is actually failing.

Obviously if the statistics in Medellin are accurate and can be directly correlated to Plan Colombia, then bravo. But just like the War in Iraq, is the good news necessarily worth the negative consequences of the Plan's implementation?

0 funny, 0 helpful.