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| House Faces Colombian Drug Vote |
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Posted by FoM on July 24, 2001 at 09:04:36 PT By William E. Gibson, Washington Bureau Source: Orlando Sentinel 
With fragile hopes and little optimism, the House this week almost certainly will approve another huge investment in the South American drug war despite its dim prospects. Congress has become a reluctant soldier in the drug war -- or rather, a highly skeptical financial backer.Critics fear the United States will get bogged down in the Andean anti-drug mission, which is built around military aid to Colombia. The House, nevertheless, is expected to approve $676 million to help the initiative as part of a $15-billion foreign-aid bill -- a grudging step taken for lack of a better alternative. If Plan Colombia fails to show clear signs of success by next year, however, future funding is in jeopardy. Congress has become discouraged with the strategy, mainly because it has failed to curb the flow of illegal narcotics from Colombia and neighboring countries. From the start, critics also fumed about funding Colombian armed forces that were notorious for human-rights violations. Political support was further damaged when Peruvian pilots mistakenly shot down a missionary plane, killing an American woman and her baby. Colombian-Americans, especially, are torn by the dilemmas posed by U.S. funding. Many have fled to the United States, bringing their money with them, because of the turmoil and the imminent threat of kidnapping and murder. "It's a controversial plan within the Colombian community. Some Colombians support it and some don't," said Jose Luis Castillo, chairman of the Miami-based Colombian American Foundation. "Some Colombians fear it is only going to escalate the situation by putting more firewood on the fire. Others think it's necessary to be more aggressive." For now, Congress is reluctant to undermine Colombian President Andres Pastrana while he is struggling to broker a peace agreement with guerrilla forces, quell the booming drug trade, eradicate illegal crops and repair the storm-damaged countryside. Pastrana must do all of this while trying to stem the flow of people and money out of Colombia and counter narcotics-funded terrorism from the left and right. Colombia's intractable problems cannot be ignored, most members of Congress agree, because they threaten American anti-drug efforts as well as the stability of a strategically important region with ties to the United States, especially Florida. "The worst thing we could do is pull the rug out from under President Pastrana. That would be a disaster for Colombia and our allies in the Western Hemisphere. That would be the last resort," said Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, a member of the House International Relations Committee. He and others predicted, however, that the United States is unlikely to keep bankrolling Pastrana's strategy, known as Plan Colombia, unless it begins to reduce the supplies of cocaine and heroin that flow to the United States and Europe. So far, most evidence shows those supplies have increased as leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitary forces pump up production to fund their conflicting causes. "Plan Colombia probably has one more year to prove itself before it's really curtains," Wexler said. "It's just too much American money being spent without results, and Pastrana, whose term ends in 2002, will be gone after next year." Even those who point to signs of progress, such as reduced coca crops in Bolivia and Peru, acknowledge that the Andean initiative is teetering on the brink of defeat. "It is nearly as fraught with the possibility for failure as it is for success, but we have no alternatives," Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., told his colleagues last week when the House began debating the foreign-aid bill. "Without our help, there is a significant likelihood that Colombia will become an outright narco-state effectively under the control of terrorists and drug lords." At former President Clinton's request, Congress last year approved $1.3 billion for the Andean initiative, most of it for police or military aid to eradicate coca crops and stem the drug trade in Colombia's unruly southern provinces. The strategy was controversial from the start because it put so much of the money into military training, counternarcotics hardware and helicopters, and relatively little into economic aid. The Bush administration and Congress have proposed another round of aid, but with modifications: About half the money in the House bill would be spent directly on anti-narcotics efforts, with the rest on economic assistance and other aid. About $399 million of the $676 million would go to Colombia, with the rest sent to other nations in the region. The House is expected to approve these measures, perhaps as early as today. The Senate will take up a similar version, though perhaps not until after its August break. Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL) Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Drug War Strategy To Face Attack Congress Challenges Cost of Unwinnable Drugs War Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #3 posted by mayan on July 24, 2001 at 16:27:38 PT |
| Rep. Souder says we have no alternatives. That's B.S. The policy of prohibition has created the narco-state & the policy of legalization will eliminate it. Common sense. Duh! I'm completely fed up with my tax dollars going towards saving addicts from themselves. Like our government really cares about addicts anyway. That is not why we are down there. Pastrana is a puppet propped up by our government & will allow us to suck the oil out of their land for the right price. How much longer will we tolerate this crap? It seems that apathy & ignorance prevail in Amerika, leaving the greedheads to gobble up what they wish. So pathetic... [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #2 posted by Kickaha on July 24, 2001 at 10:37:28 PT |
| So, because an ineffective drug policy has created conditions in Colombia such that: "...there is a significant likelihood that Colombia will become an outright narco-state effectively under the control of terrorists and drug lords." We have no choice but to continue an ineffective drug policy? I might believe the ordinary congressman of average intelligence might be so detached that they actually could harbor some genuine delusions about Plan Colombia having the desired effect, but Souder is either insane or operating with a hidden agenda. [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by Doug on July 24, 2001 at 10:02:45 PT |
| He and others predicted, however, that the United States is unlikely to keep bankrolling Pastrana's strategy, known as Plan Colombia, unless it begins to reduce the supplies of cocaine and heroin that flow to the United States and Europe. This is making the assumption that Plan Columbia really has anythihg to do with drugs. The Plan is much more converned with fighting rebel forces, protecting oil, and giving aid to struggling defense industries in this country. As long as critics only focus on the nominal reasons for Plan Columbia, they'll never be able to stop it. [ Post Comment ] |
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