http://www.wola.org/colombiaprg.html http://www.nd.edu/~observer/11052001/News/0.html http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Latin_America/US_Linked_Abuses_LAmer.html http://www.agrnews.org/issues/85/ Why are clergy members, peasants, peaceful activists, politicians and villagers being kidnapped and murdered by the thousands?
Does all this have to do with narcotics, Hayes? Priests, peasants, politicians and peaceful protesters are being killed because of a drug war? Some peoples' craving for cocaine has caused such a human rights attrocity?
Pretty much. Or you could say its caused by some people's refusal to take a different approach to the War on Drugs. Although I don't think FARC would lay down their arms if the US reversed its course on the WoD, but they would run out of money to fund their campaigns. Unlike El Salvador or Nicaragua, there is no Soviet state to fund these insurgencies.
Hayes, In one of those links it said that the United States imports more oil from Latin America than the Persian Gulf. Protection of U.S. oil and trade interests is also a key factor, it stated. How does this affect the people of Colombia, Venezuela and the rest of Latin America?
Well, FARC, which is supplied by drug money, attacks oil installations/infrastructure to put the hurt on the people and the government. They do the same thing with power infrastructure. That costs US businesses money and makes the supply insecure. It also costs the governments money and investment. So that motive combines with the anti-drug campaign and there are multiple reasons why the US supports counterinsurgency against FARC. FARC commits just as many, if not more, and more heinous human rights violations as the government and their proxies, so it is a draw on that point. Either way there are going to be some people eatin it. The government is anti drug and pro capitalism. FARC is not. So. Repeal the WoD, FARC can no longer sustain their campaign, and the oil and investment becomes more secure. Everybody is happy but Jerry Falwell and William Bennett. Or, engage in full scale anti-insurgency interdiction and wipe FARC out.
Replace "repeal" with "reprioritize" and I'm in 100% agreement. A much better alternative than option #2, while also solving, or at least helping to alleviate, a myriad of domestic problems.
