Aid Colombia Barry R. McCaffrey American interests at home and in South America have been increasingly threatened by ongoing, interrelated crises in Colombia. We must protect ourselves from the flow of Colombian heroin and cocaine, in particular, as well as support democratic government, the rule of law, economic stability and human rights in that beleaguered country. Colombia would receive equipment like UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, training and technical assistance for its police and criminal justice system, funds for alternate economic development, drug interdiction, and support for peace initiatives. Peru and Bolivia, which achieved dramatic reductions in cocaine production, would also receive modest enhancements in U.S. aid.
Efforts are underway to build support among potential donors in Europe and Asia.
The world has come to realize that the drug problem is multinational and demands an international response. The level of violence is greatly exacerbated by drug profits, which fuel different parties to the conflict and allow outlaw factions to purchase more weapons. Some 35,000 Colombians were killed over the past decade in Latin America's longest-running internal conflict. If the United States doesn't help Colombia, even greater quantities of cocaine and heroin are likely to be exported. Colombia's role in the drug trade changed over the last decade.