Word: colombianizing
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...turns out, however, that Colombian traffickers weren't ready to raise the white flag. The billion-dollar cartels were replaced by more than 40 independent organizations that are difficult to penetrate and whose leaders have been just as enterprising as the old kingpins. When Peru and Bolivia put the squeeze on coca cultivation, the traffickers moved their crops to southern Colombia, which the government in Bogota had largely ceded to Marxist guerrillas. Then, improved refining techniques enabled traffickers to increase output. To combat the growers, the White House has asked for $1.6 billion in aid. For foreign...
...reduce demand at home. Now, in the second term, "the Republicans believe Clinton is vulnerable on the drug issue," says Myles Frechette, former U.S. ambassador to Colombia. During the past two years, conservative House members complained that the White House was ignoring Colombia--and began working directly with Colombian National Police commander Jose Serrano to slip weapons he wanted into appropriations bills...
Clinton has given the Republicans plenty of ammunition. Ever since the departure in 1998 of his senior counselor Thomas ("Mack") McLarty, who had the Latin America portfolio, Colombia has been off the White House's radar screen. From February to June of last year, a period during which the Colombian crisis worsened, the top aide for Latin America on the National Security Council was detached to deal with Kosovo. With Republicans threatening last summer to ram through their own billion-dollar aid package, McCaffrey began lobbying the White House for a plan...
...member National Liberation Army, operates in 40% of the country. The FARC was earning at least $100 million a year from the traffickers. Its well-armed guerrillas, who have choppers, signal-intelligence equipment and even R.-and-R. resorts in Panama, were becoming better paid and equipped than Colombian army soldiers...
There's just one problem: Pastrana is more popular on the Potomac than in Colombia, where unemployment is at 20% and the nation is enduring its worst recession in 70 years. According to a Human Rights Watch report released last week, the Colombian army is still fighting guerrillas with the help of some 5,000 paramilitary thugs "responsible for gross human-rights violations." Though the White House publicly insists its aid will fight drugs and not guerrillas, Clinton aides privately admit it will be impossible to separate the two in many future battles...