Invest More, Expect Less: The Hard Truth About U.S. Policy in Colombia

Abstract

While many interpret Garcia Marquez statement as a call to action and a criticism of procrastination, an alternate reading of the Nobel laureate's axiom is that if one expects too much from a situation or a course of action, he is certain to be disappointed. In assessing past U.S. policy towards Colombia and - more importantly - in attempting to chart its future, the strategist must be careful not to expect too much. Above all, he must resist the frequently self-imposed mandate of American policymaking to fix Colombia. Colombia s internal political conflict, the endemic violence and grave humanitarian crises it has spawned, and the destabilizing narco-trafficking and terrorism that have emerged from it over the past fifty years cannot be definitively fixed or solved by U.S. policy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA441605

Entities

People

  • John Feeley

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Colombia
  • Congress
  • Department Of State
  • Drug Abuse
  • Drug Trafficking
  • Governments
  • Human Rights
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • Military Personnel
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies