All Bush's Horses and All Bush's Men: How Far Should the U.S. Go to Help Put Colombia Back Together Again
Abstract
The Bush administration's new National Security Strategy (NSS) singles out by name only eighteen of the world's 191 nations and of those only a handful merit more than a word. The NSS' focus on the potential threat from Iraq, relations with China, or potential conflict between nuclear adversaries Pakistan and India will surprise no one. Few Americans would consider Colombia as a nation in which they have significant national interests beyond, perhaps, a vague awareness of Colombia as source for their daily fixes of illegal drugs or coffee. But Colombia could soon loom large in the American mind: the NSS signals administration intention to link the U.S. battle against drugs flowing out of Colombia to its wider war against terrorism, a shift in policy that has implications for the expenditure of U.S. treasure, influence and, possibly, lives. U.S. interest in Colombia prefigures September 11 but was focused by that date. The attacks of 9/11 underscored the threat posed by failed or failing states and which serve as potential launching pads for terrorist groups. Colombia, fragmented and wracked by violence, today teeters on the edge of implosion, raising the specter of a failed state on the U.S.' southern flank, posing a threat to U.S. national and regional interests. To defeat amorphous foes that include insurgency, terrorism, narco-trafficking and Colombia's own tortured history and help restore the security essential to Colombian stability, the challenge for the Bush administration is to find the right interventionist tools. Ironically, the legacy of past U.S. interventions in Latin America constrains U.S. options, and direct use of military force is not a realistic choice.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA442506
Entities
People
- Juan A. Alsace
Organizations
- National War College