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| Don’t Let U.S. Get Sucked into Colombia Quagmire |
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Posted by FoM on March 11, 2002 at 09:25:24 PT Editorial Source: Newsday 
"Mission creep," the bureaucratic and political virus that's infected more than a few U.S. initiatives abroad, is starting to manifest itself in Washington's involvement in Colombia's drug-fueled civil war. Left unchecked, mission creep has sucked the nation into unanticipated quagmires - Vietnam was an extreme example. In Colombia, it would be best kept in check before it's too late.Until now, Washington's involvement has been expensive - nearly $2 billion - but strictly limited to supplying the government of President Andres Pastrana with economic and military help to combat the narcotics trade. But since a tentative peace initiative negotiated by Pastrana and left-wing rebels fell apart earlier this month, the Bush administration and Congress have made moves to broaden the use of U.S. military aid to help the embattled Colombian government. Secretary of State Colin Powell last week said he might ask Congress to lift long-standing restrictions limiting U.S. military aid to Colombia to the fight against narcotics, and the House passed a nonbinding resolution supporting broader aid for Colombia. Those moves are disquieting. They could lead this country into a wrong-headed military involvement in a civil war that's raged for nearly four decades with no resolution. The centerpiece of the so-called Plan Colombia, undertaken by the Clinton administration and approved by Congress, was $1.3 billion for the purchase of helicopters destined for Colombia's military, to defoliate drug crops, interdict drug shipments and otherwise disrupt the narcotics trade. In practice, the military has used much of the aid for combat operations against the two left-wing guerrilla groups that finance themselves through the drug trade. The effect on drug production has been less than minimal. Coca production in Colombia actually increased sharply in the past year, as Bush acknowledged last week. Diverting military aid to help Pastrana fight the insurgency could set Washington on the proverbial slippery slope, at a time when U.S. resources are best put to use fighting al-Qaida terrorists elsewhere. Source: Newsday (NY) Related Articles & Web Site: Colombia Drug War News Looking for Allies in Colombia Administration Won't Send US Troops To Colombia Plan Colombia: This Will Be Worse Than Vietnam Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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