The Lands of Bolivar - Essay Example

The lands of Bolivar Drug abuse has been a thorn in the flesh for many counties in the world for decades now. Columbia is a no exception. This South American country has been torn by civil wars for many years. In recent years, the rebels are being financed for their deeds by trading in illegal drugs. The war on illegal drugs that is being fought fiercely by the U.S government is now a global affair. A wide compromise exists that the international drug trade has posed a considerable health and national security risks for nations found in the Americas.

In the 1980s, the battle on drugs which was supported by the Bush and Reagan administrations in Columbia had focused on stopping this plague of drugs. The Latin American governments including Columbia have been strongly pressured by the U.S to enhance their drug management efforts. Strained diplomatic ties resulted in the process. This paper examines the role of the United States in the drug issues that are facing Columbia. It also looks at the militarization of the drug control efforts that have been put in effect by the United States and the effects that such programs are likely to have on Columbia.

During the reign of Reagan in the United states administration, the war against drugs gained it momentum. Political pressure for drug eradication was mounting in Columbia. Decriminalization and the legalization movements were marginalized by a tough approach to the war on drugs. It became apparent that this war will be militarized. The speech that was delivered by Reagan in 1982 focused on drug prohibition and eradication.In addition to that, the major of the United States war on drugs as put into practice in Columbia included eradication projects through crop substitution strategies and the prohibition of the trafficking routes.

It is worth noting that though much of the efforts were militarized, the objectives in Columbia were believed to be counter narcotics. The prospect of maintaining this distinction was critical in upholding the support of public wary of a possible involvement of the U.S in a counter revolution that could ‘Vietnamize’ the overall state of affairs in Columbia.The effectiveness of the US in this situation can attributed to the fact that there was a reduction in the amount of drugs entering the United States and a subsequent growth of a drug-free economy.

With better economic opportunities at stake, the farmers in Columbia could grow nutritious food crops rather than the drugs. Additionally, with drug elimination the country has a lot to offer which includes flowers, fruits and other products. Works cited http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12072004- 112259/unrestricted/CPrestonPlanColombia10Dec.pdf