Power Hungry

Power Hungry

The United States has been the most powerful country in the world for a long time. As a result, many countries look to the United States for aid when going through conflicts either with other countries or within their own countries. However, often times the aid given to these countries is not what they originally wanted and is not helpful. In particular, the United States’ aid to Columbia is not helpful and is actually causing more harm to the country than good. Columbia is looking for peaceful means to settle the differences between their opposing forces; the United States is only offering militarily forced solutions; and as a result, the conflicts are not only getting worse, but innocent civilians are being harmed as well.

Columbia has many opposing forces within their country. First are the left-wing guerilla armies, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN). Both these forces are heavily involved in the drug trade. Opposing these forces are the right-wing military groups. The largest right-wing army is the Autodefensas Unidas de Columbia (AUC)(PPU). The right-wing paramilitary groups were originally started to protect farmers from FARC and ELN, but today, some provide security services to drug lords(Latin America). There are also right-wing paramilitary gunmen, believed to be supported by the Columbian National Army (which means there’s a lot of secrecy and icky things going on behind the scenes), who operate by terrorizing towns and villages suspected of left-wing sympathies(PPU).

However, despite all the secrecy and icky things going on, the president of Columbia, AndrÐ"©s Pastrana, met with leaders of FARC and agreed to demilitarize five guerilla-held territories if FARC and ELN agreed to attend peace talks. Also as part of the agreement, the right-wing paramilitary groups agreed not to recruit children and to keep civilians out of the conflict in exchange for an acceptable outline for future talks on political, economic, and judicial reform(PPU). This agreement went on-again off-again for a little while because of misunderstandings and misacting by different forces, but eventually US involvement forced non-peaceful solutions onto Columbia.

When President Pastrana took office, he presented to the world his “Plan for Columbia,” which addressed economic and social reform. He sought much international aid, particularly from the US, to achieve his long-term goal to combat rebellion and the drug trade, and to bring peace to Columbia. The US, however, responded with a $1.3 billion offer of short-term military aid to defeat