The U.S. War on Drugs in Colombia

Ever since Richard Nixon declared the War on Drugs in 1971, Colombia has struggled to improve its reputation as a drug-trafficking country supplying North America and Europe. During the 1980s, Colombia was in the midst of guerilla unrest and political instability (Friedersdorf). However, while the reason for this situation is often chalked up to a corrupt Colombian government, many tend to glaze over the United States’ involvement in the War on Drugs and how that rhetoric still influences foreign countries today.

The United States’ official fiscal involvement regarding drug trafficking started with Plan Colombia which was adopted in 2000. The intervention plan costs upwards of $1 billion but the US was hopeful that this would put an end to the country’s collective addiction to cocaine. The effects of this plan can still be seen today. What is widely regarded as a failed attempt to put the Colombian drug trade to a stop has still left the country producing more coca than ever before. This is what’s inherently wrong with US imperialism and our obsession with fixing things through military force. In Colombia, the coca production has simply moved and adjusted to the government’s enforcement. This has meant that more cocaine is traveling along different routes through Mexico and more coca is being grown in neighboring countries like Peru and Bolivia (Lee). Additionally, US intervention has stunted the economy and the opportunities available to Colombians. Many rural farmers have been forced to grow coca instead of what was originally land for cattle ranching or coffee growing. People cannot afford to grow anything else and are controlled by rivaling guerilla groups (Friedersdorf).

The War on Drugs may get attention for its impact on the Global North but Colombians are still having to reconcile with that reputation now for being caught in the crossfire.

References

Friedersdorf, Conor. “Why the War on Cocaine Still Isn't Working.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media

Company, 21 June 2020, www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/06/why-the-war-on-cocaine-still-isnt-working/613297/.

Lee, Brendon. “Not-So-Grand Strategy: America's Failed War on Drugs in Colombia.” Harvard

International Review, Harvard International Review, 10 Jan. 2020, hir.harvard.edu/americas-failed-war-on-drugs-in-colombia/.

Colombia

Colombian Civil War