U.S. $5B Fails To Cut Colombian Drug Crop

Washington's "Plan Colombia" Has Reduced Violence, But Is Under Tough New Scrutiny

(AP)  The nearly $5 billion U.S. aid package known as Plan Colombia failed to meet its goal of halving illegal narcotics production in this Andean nation, says a U.S. congressional report released Wednesday.

The General Accounting Office report does, however, note that the mostly military assistance helped Colombia markedly improve security, with kidnapping and murder rates falling and the armed forces greatly diminishing the leftist rebel threat.

Its release comes as U.S. officials make it clear that aid for Colombia, an estimated $657 million in fiscal 2008, will now be trimmed because of the U.S. financial crisis.

A widening scandal over army killings of civilians to boost body counts that cost Colombia's army chief his job this week could, additionally, impact U.S. aid to the nation.

President-elect Barack Obama is among U.S. Democrats who have expressed concern over state involvement in human rights violations in Colombia's long-running conflict.

Despite record aerial eradication, coca cultivation rose by 15 percent in this Andean nation during Plan Colombia's 2000-2006 run, the report by the U.S. Congress' research arm says.

It added that cocaine production rose by less - 4 percent - because eradication efforts forced growers to more widely disperse their crops, contributing to lower yields.

Opium cultivation and heroin production did, however, decline by 50 percent over the period.

"I think it's very, very important that a U.S. agency has now said that the U.S. drug war has failed in Colombia," said Adam Isacson of the Center for International Policy, a liberal Washington, D.C. think tank.

Colombia remains the source of 90 percent of the cocaine in the United States and most of the heroin consumed east of the Mississippi river.

The GAO report was requested by Vice President-elect Joseph Biden, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations committee, and offers recommendations for aid cuts.

Its authors recommend U.S. and Colombian officials "develop a joint plan for turning over operational and funding responsibilities for U.S.-supported programs to Colombia."

Over what period remains unclear, and the report cautions that Colombia's security gains are "not irreversible" as long as rebels remain a threat.

The ranks of Colombia's military and police rose to 415,000 from 279,000 from 2000-2007, the report notes, while the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia diminished by half to about 8,000 fighters.

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said Wednesday that U.S. Democrats are divided over whether to change the roughly 2-to-1 balance of military versus economic aid.

He said he hoped pending discussions with yet-to-be named members of Obama's administration would result in "cuts that are the fewest painful possible."

Plan Colombia was announced in 1999 and was an initiative of then-President Andres Pastrana and U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Pastrana told The Associated Press he was worried about potentially crippling aid cuts.

"Obama is going to have to think about the fact that we're combatting a common enemy, which is narcoterrorism - and that he can't leave Colombia alone."

[kansas1946]

Well gosh, maybe we can use that five billion to help Americans instead of harassing Columbians. That would be nice.

[impeach__w]

Yes by "you" I meant "we" -hopefully some of "our" current leaders will be charged and convicted and soon.

[drivelphobe]

impeach_w...

You can''t tell by my post?

This is my country. I was born here in Los Angeles when it was a decent, enjoyable place to reside. Now is is an armpit of trash, entitlement recipients, hordes of non-English speaking freeloaders, and criminals. Most of our politicians are self-serving, deceitful thieves, scheming and maneuvering to line their pockets and secure themselves financially and socially.

It disgusts me and I''m certainly not alone.

Thanks for asking. Have a nice day.

Can you believe Barney Frank was re-elected? He should be in prison. It never ends.

[impeach__w]

drivelphobe you live in a nation Run by proven but never convicted criminals. How do you feel about THAT?

[drivelphobe]

This war on drugs is getting real boring. The penalty for the sale of drugs should be death. No second chance, and no appeal. It wouldn''t be inappropriate to bomb the coca fields in Columbia either. What''s with $5 billion going to Columbian politicians? Did we vote on this or is the issue deemed too complicated for the masses? We vote on whether physicians can prescribe marijuana but not on giving billions to corrupt governments.

I say NO to giving money to anymore foreign countries without a vote. It sure did a lot of good to give money to Mexico. Who''s brainchild was that? I hope we see a depression that puts millions of homeless Americans on the streets with guns looking for food. It would serve these panty waste politicians right. Our tax money is not for bailouts, entitlements, and donations to third-world nations filled with criminals.

[ubrew12]

I think cocaine should be illegal, but pot should be legal. The reason a bottle of beer has only 6% alcohol is because its legal. If beer were illegal it would be as alcoholic as vodka. If pot were legal it''s potency could be regulated, which would be a good thing. Pot may be too strong nowadays, and too much of a good thing... is a bad thing.

[carlylaine]

In spite of the fact that a few nefarias drug users get their names out there for particularly heinous crimes, most people just zone out then leave others alone nad they enjoy the drug rush.

I believe all drugs should be legal...they should pay taxes on it. The government needs to stop putting people in jail for drug use. Soon the whole nation will be behind bars with everything being illegal. Just not right. Most are victimless crimes.

[ubrew12]

We must fear the drug addicts: too much money goes to the conservatives that fight them.

We must fear the Iraqi''s: too much money goes to the conservatives that fight them.

We must fear the Taliban: too much money goes to the conservatives that fight them.

We must fear the Russians: too much money goes to the conservatives that fight them.

We must fear our brown neighbors: too much money goes to the conservative gun dealers that fight them.

Fear is a growth industry: invest now.

[geneonlbk]

If the US legalized pot just like cigarettes then we would get 5 Billion in taxes instead of spending 5 Billion on corruption south of the border. If the US had a realistic drug management program to help hard drug users then there would be no narco-bandit problem since there would be no buying public, only people paying high taxes just like our other national drugs. Of course the people in law enforcement and prison construction would be unhappy.

[gop_will_win]

Here is more tax money we could save if liberals would refrain from their drug use.

[dralex999]

Seems to me that the military can use all those drug laden planes as target practice.

The only way to stem the flow of drugs is get tough on them. Shoot them down in the sky, sink them in the sea and burn the fields.

Its been said over and over. Prohibition is a failure...History repeats itself...End Prohibiton...End the Problem...

[irmcvet97]

Heres a plan if you get caught with cocaine you get foty years hard labor digging flood control ditches in the desert.

Posted by tootall1014 at 07:04 AM : Nov 06, 2008


LOL You think THAT will stop people from using the drug? LOL That will only make it MORE profitable and harder to treat abusers of it. You don''t need anyone to tell you this... go get a HISTORY book people. Education and Treatment is the ONLY way to deal with this. Trying to somehow develop a Police State so strong that it will control peoples behavior? Won''t work... especially in America!

[vatofla]

How much can we contribute to help harvest and distribute it.

[chicks2023]

Prohibition did not work in the 30''s and it is not working now.

www.leap.org

[formrusmcsgt]

Five billion spent which resulted in a net INCREASE of 4%.

[pirmin3]

But I bet it sure greased a lot of palms.