Plan Colombia

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Plan Colombia is a program run by the Colombian government that legitimizes the army to act for police purposes. Officially, the plan is aimed at the so-called " war on drugs ".

The plan was published in English in September 1999 by the President of Colombia, Andrés Pastrana , as the “Plan for Peace, Prosperity and the Renewal of the State”.

Follow the Plan Colombia

In addition to the militarization of society in Colombia, environmental damage and damage to health from spraying real or alleged coca plantations with herbicides are consequences of the program. Mainly coca plantations owned by the guerrilla organization FARC are sprayed. Corruption in the Colombian army prevents these actions from being carried out efficiently. Often the wrong areas are sprayed as “favors”. In Colombia, in addition to the fungus Fusarium oxysporum , which is classified by many scientists as a biological weapon , the herbicides paraquat , triclopyr , imazapyr , hexazinona , tebuthiuron and glyphosate , a broad spectrum herbicide from Monsanto known under the brand name Roundup , were used. According to Adolfo Maldonado of the environmental organization Acción Ecológica in Quito, there are studies by the University of Missouri that show that for every two hectares of drug planting that is destroyed, one hectare of forest and other crops are also destroyed. The lower classes in rural areas are particularly affected by the damage to the environment and health. For other layers of Colombian society, the plan colombia resulted in an economic upswing, as promised financial support was paid, the image of foreign policy improved and the number of foreign direct investments rose.

In 2007 coca cultivation in Colombia increased by 27% compared to the previous year. However, the amount of cocaine produced remained stable. Should the Colombians be able to push back the FARC problem further, they also expect better control of coca cultivation in Colombia.

US support

Colin Powell on a visit to Colombia in connection with Plan Colombia

On July 13, 2000, President Bill Clinton and his Colombian counterpart Andrés Pastrana signed Plan Colombia, which aimed to clean up drug trafficking and guerrillas. The US approved $ 3.7 billion in military aid for Plan Colombia (as of 2005). On October 9, 2004, the US Congress decided to double the US military personnel in Colombia. Most of the military personnel support is provided by " security service providers " like DynCorp .

The Plan Colombia is part of a strategic security concept developed in the USA for the American continent.

The aim of this plan is to transform the armies in Latin America into pure police units - so-called "complementary forces". Critics such as the historian and writer Carlos Montemayor see this as a disempowerment of the individual countries in relation to the USA: "The long-term goal of the North American strategic programs is to develop the US army into the only existing military force on the American continent." However, considering the topographical nature and the fragmented balance of power in Colombia, this scenario is extremely dubious.

On October 30, 2009, the Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez and the US Ambassador William Brownfield signed a new agreement that allows the US to use seven military bases on Colombian territory for a (renewable) period of ten years - with the same goals as in Plan Colombia. The bases are located in Palanquero, Malambo, Apiay, Cartagena, Málaga, Larandia and Tolemaída. Even before it was signed, the new agreement met with a largely negative response at the summit of the Union of South American States ( Unasur ), especially from Venezuela.

Support from Germany and the EU

The deputy Klaus-Jürgen Hedrich , Friedbert Pflueger , Christian Ruck and other deputies and the Group of the CDU / CSU in 2004 submitted a request for support of the Colombian drug policy: "For a European-Colombian dialogue and a successful peace process in Colombia to use". In it, the German politicians also support a constitutional amendment in favor of the incumbent Colombian president: “The Colombian population has rated these measures and the work of the security organs positively. As a result, an amendment to the constitution is being considered that will allow President Alvaro Uribe Velez to be re-elected directly and guarantee the continuation of his policy of 'democratic security'. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CONFLICT BAROMETER 2007. (pdf; 4.9 MB) (No longer available online.) In: Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK). P. 38 , archived from the original on January 31, 2012 ; accessed on October 19, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.hiik.de
  2. ↑ Poblaciones denuncian fumigaciones de Colombia en territorio ecuatoriano. (No longer available online.) In: teleSUR. May 30, 2008, formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 19, 2011 (Spanish).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.telesurtv.net  
  3. ↑ UNODC: UNODC Survey Shows Coca Cultivation Up, Production Level , June 18, 2007
  4. ↑ cf. on this: Lessmann (1996) and Altmann (1997)
  5. ↑ Le Monde diplomatique: Advance Action Points (from February 12, 2010)
  6. ↑ a b BT-Drs. 15/3959

literature

Web links