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Wrong way to peace?

What a confused muddle is the article here:

http://www.colombiareports.com/opinion/117-cantonese-arepas/5101-wrong...

The author complains about Colombia's purchase of 39 armored vehicles for two reasons.

First, he states: "The government may have achieved what is possible through military means. Now another strategy with a political solution at the forefront is needed." Tell that to former President Gaviria, who "negotiated" unsuccessfully for years, all the while giving the FARC time to consolidate their position. What a great way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, more pointless negotiations with 30 year-old groupt of killers.

Second the author chastizes the Colombian goverment for spending $39 on arms while it failed to approve:

"a law that would have tried to compensate the victims of guerrillas', paramilitaries' and government forces’ atrocities because, incidentally, the government did not have the US$ 39 million for compensation...Choosing to purchase war machines by forfeiting to compensate the victims of Colombia’s past and present violence...would not only nurture tomorrow’s paramilitaries’ and guerrillas’ foot soldiers, but also lead the millions displaced that are now in cities to irremediably choose crime."

This is just silly. The author notes that the USA has "contributed $6 billion to Plan Colombia", and goes on to state that the "unfreezing of US $50 million for Plan Colombia...only add(s) more suspicion to the actual entity responsible for ordering the purchase and its beneficiaries."

Which is it? If Washington both supplied the money for Plan Colombia, and dictated that part of it be used to purchase the vehicles, how could the Colombian govenment be at fault for failure to: "compensate the victims of Colombia’s past and present violence...at the expense of funding programs that aim at eradicating poverty".

Strange. The author implies (probably correctly) that the money used to pay for the vehicles was supplied by the USA in the first place, and that the USA dictated how it was spent. Still, somehow, Colombia is at fault for not misdirecting funds donated by another govenment to another use that the donor govenment had not approved.

By phillyguy on Jul 22, 2009, 10:04 in Friendly Talkzone.

august says on Jul 23, 2009, 02:26:

Eitherway the US should really stop blowing its taxpayers' money on garbage like military bases and vehicles in South America. Who's benefiting from this?

0 funny, 1 helpful.

makopp5 (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jul 23, 2009, 04:54:

"Who's benefiting from this?"
The Colombians, b tu when you don´t live in Colombia you cann´t see the change. Just don´t use drugs in the US and Europe and we will not need any military aid. With the drug use they make a mess here in Colombia, so it´s more than ok that the US taxmoney is used to clean up a little bit the mess.

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august says on Jul 23, 2009, 16:24:

Wrong. The defense contractors and politicians tied to repression-based strategies. I've lived in Colombia. The in-laws sembrar the hojas in Choco because that's the most profitable thing they can do for themselves. A repression-based strategy is a losing battle for Colombians. It would be much more efficient to pull the carpet out from under the traffickers/GAI by moving towards legalization-based strategies. Imagine if all the damn money blown by the Colombian and US gov'ts on arms was spent on education. Hmmm. I suppose education and jobs can come later? I recognize it takes security too, but there are diminishing returns on security expenditures that policymakers are not heeding.

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