United States Drug Enforcement Policy in Colombia: Conflict of Priorities in Controlling the Flow of Cocaine to the United States

: The Republic of Colombia is a nation that is caught between several rocks and hard choices. On one hand, Colombia's existence as a democratic nation is threatened by a number of well-established drug trafficking organizations, two leftist guerrilla armies, a right-wing paramilitary force and a poorly equipped, trained, and led military. On the other hand, Colombia faces considerable pressure from the United States to halt the illegal export of narcotics. The catch is that Colombia cannot acquire financial aid to address the former without first addressing the latter. Although seemingly related objectives, the Columbian people are stuck in the middle and fair much worse in the absence of a stable social structure. Colombian President Andres Pastrana must decide whether to first take action to establish the "Rule of Law" as a foundation of fundamental social and economic reform, or to begin by framing the house, worry about the foundation later, and target what the United States Drug Enforcement Administration sources say is a 90 percent market share of cocaine exports to the United States.1 To date, President Pastrana has chosen to take the money and muddle through in a manner that has not reduced the effects of guerrilla activity, improved the lot for the typical Columbian or reduced drug exports. The United States has put Colombia in an untenable situation on an unworkable path to neither social nor economic reform.