The darker side of the US-Colombia war on drugs (Part 1/3)
The darker side of the US-Colombia war on drugs (Part 1/3)
Mar 24, 2014 posted by Diego Melo
Anti-drug trafficking and production policies are a hot topic these days. On March 13th, several Latin American countries spoke at the United Nations about the need for a new framework regulating anti-narcotics strategies and moving beyond supply-reduction policies. In Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos spent much of last year advocating new ways of conceiving the War on Drugs in the Americas and the issue is currently being negotiated at the Havana peace talks between the government and the FARC.
Despite this latest clamor for a new framework, the United States pushes for continuing the old ways of dealing with drug production and trafficking. The Department of State released this March a report describing “the efforts of key countries to attack all aspects of the international drug trade in Calendar Year 2013” in which it gave US Congress a snapshot of what countries are doing “right” and “wrong” in their fight against illegal narcotics.
As expected, the report is not receptive to alternative strategies. The US is extremely judgmental of Bolivia’s defense of coca leaf for medicinal purposes and a related UN anti-narcotic’s body recently condemned Uruguay’s decision to take over the weed business. The UN tends to praise countries when they follow US-formulated strategies and scolds others for failing to reduce the supply of drugs. The United States Administration, after all, sees itself as the victim of an uncontrollable flow of drugs into its country, a fact that negatively affects its population and reduces its economy’s productivity.
But the “War on Drugs” logic is proving harder and harder to substantiate as a legitimate policy. From a human rights perspective, a supply-reduction strategy has simply caused disproportional damages to local communities. From a policy perspective, the US sponsored “War on Drugs” has created perverse incentives among various high government officials. Since it allows government actors to extradite top paramilitary and guerilla members involved in drug trafficking, the policy reduces the country’s chances of reconstructing truth –about serious human rights violations and government officials’ responsibilities in the bloodshed.
This is the first of a series of articles tackling the reasons why the US anti-narcotics strategy for Colombia is at once depraved, draconian and outdated. This entry addresses extradition, which legitimizes the US prison industrial complex and creates perverse incentives for Colombian government officials. Not an easy task, unpacking the “War on Drugs” demands that we look into the darker side of US-Colombia relations.
More:
http://colombiareports.co/darker-side-us-colombia-war-drugs-part-13/#prettyPhoto
