In April 2001 budget submissions, President Bush requested $882.29 million in FY2002economic and counter-narcotics assistance for Colombia and regional neighbors in an initiativecalled the "Andean Regional Initiative," with $731 million of the counter-narcotics assistance calledthe "Andean Counterdrug Initiative." According to the Administration, there are two distinctivefeatures of this program, compared to Plan Colombia assistance, (1) both of which aim to promotepeace and to stem the flow of cocaine and heroin from the Andean region. The differences are thatthe assistance for economic and social programs is roughly equal to the assistance forcounter-narcotics programs, and that more than half of the assistance is directed at regional countriesthat are experiencing the spill-over effects of illicit drug and insurgency activities. (2) In the presentation of the International Affairs budget, the Administration noted that the Andean Counterdrug Initiative would build upon the resources provided in the FY2000 EmergencySupplemental Appropriations for Plan Colombia and ongoing regional funding. It set ascounter-narcotics goals to reduce Colombian coca production by 30% in 2000-2002, to eliminate allillicit coca production in Bolivia by the end of 2002, to negotiate revised coca and poppy controlgoals with the new Peruvian Government, and to set aggressive and achievable goals by mid-August2001 with other countries in the region. In presenting the broader Andean Regional Initiative to Andean regional leaders at Summit of the Americas III in Quebec City, Canada, in mid-April 2001, President Bush said: "The United Statesis responsible to fight its own demand for drugs. And we will expand our efforts to work withproducer and transit countries to fortify their democratic institutions, promote sustainabledevelopment, and fight the supply of drugs at the source .... The United States appreciates thedifficult challenges [Andean countries] face in fighting drugs - and stands ready to be their partner." (3) Requested ARI funding of $882.29 million for FY2002 is to be distributed as follows, taking into account only international affairs funding: Colombia: $399 million Socio-economic aid: $146.5 million for programs such as alternativedevelopment, judicial reform, human rights, anti-corruption measures, and support for the peaceprocess. Counter-narcotics aid: $252.5 million for aviation and infrastructure supportfor air assets provided under Plan Colombia, training and equipping security forces, and interdictionand eradication efforts. Peru: $206.15 million Socio-economic aid: $128.15 million for alternative development, promotionof democracy, health and education programs. Counter-narcotics aid: $78 million for upgrading helicopters and riverineinterdiction efforts, eradication, and demand reduction and policydevelopment. Bolivia: $143.48 million Socio-economic aid: $88.48 million for programs such as alternativedevelopment, judicial reform, poverty alleviation, health and environment. Counter-narcotics aid: $55 million for ground-based and air interdictionsupport, eradication efforts, counter-narcotics training, and narcotics awareness and preventionprograms. Ecuador: $76.48 million Socio-economic aid: $56.48 million for border area development, povertyreduction, judicial reform, and environmental programs. Counter-narcotics aid: $20 million for northern border security, lawenforcement and border checkpoints, and sea and airport control efforts. Brazil: $26.18 million Socio-economic aid: $11.18 million for health and environmental programs. Counter-narcotics aid: $15 million for training and equipping bordercounter-narcotics forces, and for drug awareness and demand reductionprograms. Panama: $20.5 million Socio-economic aid: $8.5 million for judicial reform, watershed management,and economic growth opportunities. Counter-narcotics aid: $12 million for upgrading interdiction and lawenforcement forces, and for modernizing criminal justice institutions. Venezuela: $10.5 million Socio-economic aid: $0.5 million for legal and judicialreform. Counter-narcotics aid: $10 million for law enforcement and interdictionreforms, efforts to counter money-laundering, and demand reduction. Another aspect of the Andean Regional Initiative is U.S. support for the extension and broadening of the Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA), expiring in December 2001, that givesduty free or reduced-rate treatment to the products of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. Thiswas the centerpiece appeal of Colombian President Pastrana at his mid-April 2001 meeting with thePresident Bush, and the U.S. President replied that he favored extension of the Act and would workwith Congress to broaden the coverage. President Bush repeated that pledge when he met withAndean leaders at the Summit of the Americas meeting in Canada. Colombia especially wantstextiles and apparel to be covered, while Ecuador wants tuna to be covered. The countries arelooking for parity with Central American and Caribbean preferences, provided in the U.S.-CaribbeanTrade Partnership Act approved in 2000, in order to prevent a diversion of trade and investment fromthe Andean region to Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean. (4) In a mid-May 2001 briefing on the Andean Regional Initiative, Administration spokesmen noted that democracy is under pressure in all regional countries, that economic development is indoubt, and that Andean countries pose a direct national security threat because they produce virtuallyall of the world's cocaine and increasing amounts of heroin. The policy makers suggested threeoverarching goals in the Andean Ridge that could be called the three D's - democracy, development,and drugs. The first goal is to promote and support democracy and democratic institutions bysupport for judicial reform, anti-corruption measures, human rights improvement, and the peaceprocess in Colombia. The second goal is to foster sustainable economic development and tradeliberalization through alternative economic development, protection of the environment, and renewalof the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA). The third goal is to significantly reduce the supply ofillegal drugs to the United States at the source, while simultaneously reducing U.S. demand, througheradication, interdiction and other efforts. (5) The Administration's Andean Regional Initiative if enacted as requested will significantly increase funding to some Latin American drug producing countries. It would place Colombia, Peru,and Bolivia among the top eight U.S. foreign aid recipients in FY2002, with Colombia in thirdplace, Peru in fifth place, and Bolivia in eighth place. (6) Critics of the Andean Regional Initiative argue that it is a continuation of what they regard as the misguided approach of Plan Colombia approved in 2000, with an overemphasis on military andcounter-drug assistance, and with inadequate support for human rights and the peace process inColombia. They argue that support for the military will weaken and undermine the peace processas the only viable solution, particularly if the military's ties to the para-military groups and humanrights abuse are not ended. They also argue that forced eradication of crops through aerial sprayingwill cause environmental damage and internal displacement in the entire region, and is likely to failultimately as new sources of supply emerge elsewhere. Supporters argue that the Andean RegionalInitiative continues needed assistance to Colombia when Plan Colombia assistance is just beginningto take effect, while providing more support for endangered regional neighbors and more assistancefor social and economic programs. (7) The Andean Regional Initiative is designed to provide assistance to seven important countriesin the broadly defined Andean region (8) , or what theAdministration has called the Andean Ridge: Colombia (the major producer of cocaine and the central challenge); Peru and Bolivia (where pastsuccesses in reducing cocaine production could be threatened by expected progress in Colombia);Ecuador (the most exposed neighbor because of its proximity to Colombian areas controlled by drugproducers and guerrillas); and Brazil, Venezuela and Panama (where the threat is primarily confinedto common border areas with Colombia). This area has some of the most heavily populated countries in Latin America, including the first (Brazil), third (Colombia), fifth (Peru), sixth (Venezuela), and eighth (Ecuador) most populous. Itincludes three major drug producing countries (Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru) where virtually all theworld's cocaine, and more than two thirds of the heroin consumed in the U.S. East Coast areproduced. It also includes two major oil producing countries (Venezuela and Ecuador) which supplysignificant quantities of oil to the United States and are members of the Organization of PetroleumExporting Countries (OPEC). While the designated countries have diverse trading relationships, theUnited States is the major trading partner by far for all of them. For the five traditional Andeancountries (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia) the Andes mountain range that runsthrough South America poses geographical obstacles to intra-state and inter-state integration, but thecountries are linked together in the Andean Community economic integration pact. While Colombiaand Venezuela have largely European-Indian mixed race (mestizo) populations, Bolivia, Peru, andEcuador have significant indigenous populations. With a population of 42.8 million, Colombia is the third most populous country in Latin America after Brazil and Mexico, with a largely mixed race (mestizo) population, and a spaciousterritory separated by three parallel mountain ranges.