Columbian Foreign Policy - Essay Example

Colombian drug cartels successfully organize the manufacture and export of cocaine. Much of the spread of this business can be attributed to the consumers’ interest in cocaine. Colombia would not produce cocaine if other countries would not consume it. Colombia’s came to terms with US under the influence of the previous Pastrana administration and the relations between the two improved considerably. This can be estimated from the fact that US promised a lot of funding to Colombia for programs directed at the assistance of Colombian police as well as military for the purpose of increasing counter-narcotics abilities.

This aid of net worth equal to $400 million opened several projects for establishing numerous judicial and economic reforms, alternative development, ensuring humanitarian assistance and achieving human rights. The 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in the US led Colombia to play its significant role in the War against Terrorism. One reason for this was the fact that Colombians had themselves been dealing with terrorism for quite a lot of years before the 2001 attacks happened. Colombia has largely provided the central stage for planning, preparing and practicing all antiterrorist activities in US against terrorists ass well as all agencies and countries supporting them.

The Columbian government has denounced the left-wing guerrillas that are generally responsible for the trafficking of cocaine in Columbia as terrorist agencies. The Columbian government was able to achieve this with the help of US. Former President Uribe pledged that he would give all it takes to eradicate terrorism from his country, though he needs to be watchful about the possibility of surfacing of right-wing militias that are able to make a Civil War out of the War against Terrorism. Columbia is really exposed to great threat of breakout of a Civil War because similar incidents have happened in the history of Columbia as well as of the Central America.

Therefore, Former President Uribe needed to provide an objective record of human rights for his military in order to be able to retrieve their support for the War against Terrorism. Violation of human rights would increase the hindrances in Former President Uribe’s way of presenting his contributions for the War against Terrorism to the international community. Former President Uribe understood the importance of promoting relations with US, US being the primary consumer of Columbian drugs. Colombia is waging a war on two fronts: against guerrillas and against drugs.

The former cannot be won on the battlefield alone. If the current peace talks fail, the country will plunge into all-out chaos. So the United States needs to take Colombia off the back burner and work with its government to help tamp down the violence, limit the drug lords' clout, lower the demand for drugs abroad, and prod the peace process along. Without these steps, even billions in U.S. aid will not be enough. (Pardo). Besides, Former President Uribe ought to ensure that the US government did not indulge its military in the War against Terrorism in Columbia.

In order to fight successfully in the War against Terrorism, Former President Uribe had to base his plan on the foundations of support for the peasants of coca leaf to raise alternative plants, consolidation and solidarity of democratic organizations, and financial aid for development. International front might be the only area in which Columbia could acquire effective