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U.S. Election Called Key Factor in Colombian Aid

http://www.iht.com/articles/2000/09/02/colom.2.t_0.php

Search U.S. Election Called Key Factor in Colombian Aid : Politics and the Drug War
By Brian KnowltonPublished: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2000
WASHINGTON: Latin American specialists, narcotics experts and political analysts agree on many of the factors behind President Bill Clinton's $1.3 billion aid package for Colombia: serious concern over the persistent U.S. drug problem, an effective sales job by President Andres Pastrana and real worries about one of the most-troubled Latin democracies, and by extension, its neighbors.

But several analysts said they also suspected that another factor played a major role: election-year U.S. politics.

"This is very driven by electoral politics," said Carol Wise, a political economy professor at Johns Hopkins University who specializes in the Western Hemisphere and who visited Colombia recently.

She bluntly attributed congressional approval to "all these incumbents up on the Hill that don't want to look like wimps on drugs" and to Mr. Clinton's desire for "half-baked" bipartisanship in his final months in office.

Congress approved the new package with bipartisan support. But the debate brought sharp questions: Were the chances of stemming the flow of illicit drugs more than a pipe dream? Was the threat to regional stability so grave? Or was the United States simply pouring serious money into a complex situation in a chaotic country where violence is as deeply rooted as the coca plants that flourish there?

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"It's no coincidence that this package was adopted in an election year," agreed Mathea Falco, a former assistant U.S. secretary of state for international narcotics matters.

"If you go back and look, a major drug package has passed in the campaign period leading up to every major election period," said Ms. Falco, who now heads a nonprofit organization called Drug Strategies, which seeks ways to deal with the drug problem.

The Clinton administration has portrayed the Colombian stakes in dramatic terms.

General Charles Wilhelm, who as head of the U.S. Southern Command oversees anti-drug military operations in Latin America, has warned that the drug trade is "a corrosive force without precedent, relentlessly eroding the foundations of democracy in the region, corrupting public institutions, poisoning youth, ruining economies and disrupting the social order."

"Colombia," he added, "is the key to the region's stability."

U.S. officials estimate that 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States originates in or passes through Colombia. They say the new aid, including military helicopters for aerial eradication of coca plants, is desperately needed.

Facing such arguments, said Ms. Falco, "very few members of the House or Senate are willing to say, 'This package doesn't make sense.' Politicians feel they need to look tough on drugs."

While still in the government, she supported the notion that attacking the sources of illicit narcotics was the best approach. Now, she said, "We have accumulated overwhelming evidence that it doesn't work."

Instead, she favors greater spending on drug prevention and treatment.

A few American politicians have advocated drug legalization as a means to taking the profit out of trafficking, but they, noted Anthony Pereira, a political scientist at Tulane University in New Orleans, "have been pretty much marginalized."

Spending more money to fight drug production, he added, "is a very popular position, one that neither of the major presidential candidates is questioning, one that conveys a sense of toughness about the problem."

Ms. Wise also denounced what she called "this mushy throwing of money at a very old problem that has not been resolved by throwing money at it."

Despite some progress in such countries as Peru and Bolivia, she said, "The fact is that use is still buoyant, demand is still buoyant, the problem is still the same or even getting worse."

Mr. Pereira said some officials in Washington viewed the Colombian problem through a faulty historical lens, believing that "the successful way wars in El Salvador and Guatemala were negotiated and ended" could be "replicated in Colombia."

In El Salvador and Guatemala, he said, strong, well-organized and centrally directed guerrilla movements sought to seize control of the nation; when they lost the support of Cold War patrons, a negotiated peace became a relatively simple matter.

In Colombia, various factions are profiting from the status quo, with no real desire to seize control of the nation, he said. "They have quite a bit of territory and they're making money through drugs and kidnapping.

"You've got several decentralized actors, and it's not clear whom you can really make a deal with," he said.

Other analysts called the U.S. approach in Colombia flawed but added that it was preferable to doing nothing.

"We certainly had fears in the previous Colombian administration that this extra-powerful collection of people running the drug trade were making major strides in terms of taking over the whole country," said Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

By mariacvetanoski on Nov 4, 2008, 09:00 in Politics & the war.

mariacvetanoski says on Nov 4, 2008, 09:02:

Spending more money to fight drug production, he added, "is a very popular position, one that neither of the major presidential candidates is questioning, one that conveys a sense of toughness about the problem."

Save the street children of Colombia Now!!

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sanandressi says on Nov 4, 2008, 09:44:

The new "victim mentality" generation of Americans electing Obummer today may see a rejection of Free Trade with Colombia and the potential end of US aid to Colombia and a further erosion of US influence in the region that began when Carter gave away the canal.

The election of Obummer could help the FARC and ELN in Colombia.

It is too late for the Democrats to stop the new world economy. Obummer can't bring the jobs home from China.

Rejecting uribe and Colombia will only hurt American interests but Obummer and friends seem to think that is OK? We shall see........

"This train will stop in Tucumcari"

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miamimike says on Nov 4, 2008, 10:09:

No FTA will discussed at the least until spring summer of 2009, probably much later. Too much of a mess here in the USA to clean up after Bush's 8 years.

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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sanandressi says on Nov 4, 2008, 10:58:

You have bought into the Obama con Miami Mike. "8 bad years of George Bush" and "Hope and Change". This, and two months of a poor stock market, is what will probably propel Obama to victory. Where is the beef?

George Bush? Total failure on stopping ILLEGAL immigration. Tax cuts? George Bush cut taxes for most Americans especially if they have children. The Child Tax Credit came from Republicans not Democrats. Obama is and has been a big fat liar on who he is going to give a tax break.

".....too much of a mess here in the USA to clean up after Bush's 8 years." Wrong Miamimike. Too much of a mess after DEMOCRAT Bill Clinton signed NAFTA with Mexico in 1993. The great American economy of the 1990's was every bit of a false economy as was this real estate run of the 2000's. What happened when the internet economy crashed in March 2000 before Bush came along? What happened to the dot.coms and free websites and free hardware devices like the mouse and the keyboard? Where Bush has failed has to do with his inability to veto spending bills. Signing that prescription drug bill was stupidity.

Obama is promising everything to all. This is what the Democrat party is. How do you keep Democrat environmentalist happy who want to shut down the coal plant and the UNION Democrats who work in that plant?

Obama is a great speaker. Very Reagan like or Kennedy. Other than that who is he?

I do feel so bad for people who will have nobody to blame after Bush leaves office.

BTW The surge has worked in Iraq and America has not been attacked since 9-11. In a few years Bush will look pretty good!

"This train will stop in Tucumcari"

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mariacvetanoski says on Nov 4, 2008, 12:45:

yeah! that is right no attacks since 9-11

Save the street children of Colombia Now!!

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corporalgator (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 4, 2008, 22:24:

Plenty of civilians killed in Iraq who had nothing to do with 9-11. There have been attacks on our allies too and on our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, but out of sight, out of mind.

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august says on Nov 5, 2008, 01:13:

Sanandressi, let's take it back to Colombia. Has Bush's policy of continuing to support a military-based solution to solving drug trafficking from Colombia been effective?

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La_Huella says on Nov 5, 2008, 01:15:

That article was written on the misguided assumption that EITHER side actually WANTS to stop the cocaine trade.

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august says on Nov 5, 2008, 01:20:

ZING! True enough, La Huella.

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cali373 says on Nov 6, 2008, 06:28:

How old is this article? it TOO outdated!

Smile if you are a thinker!

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