Free trade with Colombia means more drugs

[Judi Lynn]

Guest Commentary : Free trade with Colombia means more drugs
BY ALISON PAUL Minuteman Media

Posted on Thursday, February 7, 2008

In his last State of the Union address, President George W. Bush told Congress of his plans to push stubbornly forward the controversial free trade agreement with Colombia: “ The first agreement that will come before you is with Colombia, a friend of America that is confronting violence and terror, and fighting drug traffickers. ” An ironic statement, given that promoting this NAFTA-style free trade agreement will undermine the war on drugs and fuel terrorist groups in Colombia.

The deal’s proponents and critics agree that Colombian family farmers will be hit the hardest by the “ adjustments ” to the local economy brought on by the trade agreement. Any doubters can look to post-NAFTA Mexico where an estimated 3 million family farmers lost their livelihoods, driving undocumented immigration to the United States. What will be the escape valve for Colombian farmers ? There are several options:

One, they turn to growing coca crops, the raw material for cocaine of which Colombia is the number one producer, thus fueling the violent drug trade. Two, they can join one of Colombia’s illegal armed groups such as the leftist rebels or the right-wing paramilitary, thus fueling Colombia’s 50-year long conflict. Both of these marauders are on the U. S. terrorist list. Or three, they can flee either to Colombia’s already crowded cities or to join the estimated 14 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Apparently, in Washington the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. First, the U. S. Congress sends $ 5 billion to Colombia in a supposed attempt to curb the drug trade and then the Bush administration promotes a trade policy that will give farmers more incentives to grow coca.

More:
http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/62007/

Author:
Allison Paul lives and works in Bogotá, Colombia, with Witness for Peace, a nonprofit organization monitoring U. S. policy in Latin America.