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On the Brink of War
As the crisis escalates, Matt Dupuis provides a good analysis of the ongoing standoff between Venezuela and Colombia.
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10 Responses to “On the Brink of War”
It is good — though it began with a reference to something pathetic in our society:
“Politics aside, I hope we can all agree…”
Only those holding onto the most truly insane political views (or who are insane themselves) support and defend Chavez's current actions, his support of the FARC, or his other misconduct in his nation and in the region.
This is a bad situation for the entire region. From what I understand, FARC has an estimated 120 camps such as the one targeted by Columbia. Other SA countreies can't ignore the implications of that forever.
What role, if any, the US should play is equally complicated to determine. Anti-US sentiment is bound to dominate the story line in news reports, no matter what it does or does not do.
I disagree with the assertion that the FARC/Colombian war is over political ideology. It long ago morphed into a fight over control of the drug trade, at least as long as that is of prime importance for funding both sides. I think Chavez is way more concerned with the amount of heavy military hardware that Colombia is acquiring to “fight” the drug trade (I haven't heard anything about the last couple years, but at least before 2003 the government was as involved in it as the rebels) rather than whether FARC is succeeding.
Something to keep an eye on, so thanks for the background info, Jeb.
Enough of that neocon musing, doma…….lol! Sounds like a job for the OAS or the magnificent incompetents at the UN. After 16 resolutions that accomplish nothing, please get back to us. Barrack can then preflight a sitdown with Hugo.
“What role, if any, the US should play is equally complicated to determine. “
So far we seem to be doing what we should as a rule be doing there, keeping our hands off and just watching. (The thing to ask is, what _should_ we be doing? and the answer doesn't consist of much.)
I'm sure the UN peacekeepers could take a break from sex trafficking in Africa, say, and enrich themselves with the Andean drug trade, and make it a new kind of Food for Oil graft-style arrangement…
Well, if Bush wants to really jack up our oil prices even further than he has already, I'm sure encouraging a dust up between 2 of our biggest suppliers would do the trick.
Mikkel is right. It is about the drug trade. However, profiting from drugs and a political agenda are not mutually exclusive.
The Taliban profits from the opium crops of Afghanistan while maintaining its political agenda.
The corruption that follows a lucrative drug business is insidious and exremely hard to combat. Many Columbian officials and lawyers have lost their lives in trying to do so.
So far, no one has been successful in combatting drug profiteers. I'm hoping new, more creative, strategies will be developed in Afghanistan that other countires can learn from. My hope is a feeble flicker, however.
“So far, no one has been successful in combatting drug profiteers. I'm hoping new, more creative, strategies will be developed in Afghanistan that other countires can learn from.”
Global legalization is really the only thing that I think will stop it. I wish I could find it again, but I read a story about a British MP that was very conservative and had a stint on their drug policy board. He came in thinking that they needed harsher drug laws, but then read about the effect of the war on drugs on both domestic and (especially) international politics and concluded that the drug war was the most immoral policy of the industrialized nations. He pointed out that the vast majority of global conflict is now fueled by the drug trade on some level.
Mikkel,
I tend to agree with you about legalization. Certainly, it's clear that the eradication of crops in Afghanistan has an effect directly contrary to what is wanted.
But, but, but. There is always the intractibility of politics. We can;t even manage to legalize an inoduous thing like prostitution! What chance does legalizing drighs have? The US would never enter into such an international pact. Unfortuantely.
The CIA is heavily invested in continuing the drug trade unabated in that region, even as the DEA is working with governments to spray large swathes of land, destroying all agriculture, in attempts to reduce coca cultivation. With Columbia playing ball with the DEA, the CIA is in a quandary with regards to support of FARC based groups. Both SA governments pay lip service to destroying drug trade, but the reality of millions (billions?) of dollars flowing into pockets means that it will never go away.