The dim future for Plan Colombia and US anti-drug funding in South America

For almost a decade Colombia has been the focal point of the United States international anti-drug efforts and has poured more than $5 billion into the program known as "Plan Colombia." That, many believe, may be changing.

Colombia's ambassador to the U.S., Carolina Barco, said this week
her country is bracing for at least a 10 percent cut in funding. Last month the US Senate recommended slashing the Bush administration’s request of almost $450 million by $90.7 million - and the House's version of the bill suggested cutting even more.

Since 2001, when the United States began aggressively funding the Colombian anti-drug effort, the area of coca under cultivation dropped dramatically but the cocaine production levels actually increased more than 10 percent, according to the UNODOC.

US congressional leaders have been questioning the expense for some time now and those calls have increased since last year when Democrats took control of congress.

Now many are citing Colombia’s questionable human rights record as a pretext for suspending funding. Some payments were already frozen in April following allegations that the Colombian army had been working alongside paramilitaries.

The House Appropriations Committee issued a blistering report in June as part of the assessment of the expenditure:

"The Committee notes that this is now year eight of an ever more evolving multi-year plan. This program is not working and the Administration's fiscal year 2008 request for Colombia is virtually identical to previous requests."

Despite that, Bush administration officials have blasted the possible cuts as "silly beyond belief."

Yet the future of the Colombia-centric anti-drug strategy is expected to change as the United States begins to focus more of its efforts in Mexico where many of the drug cartels are now believed to be located.

While Colombia remains the top producer of the drug, roughly 90 percent of the cocaine consumed in the United States now passes through Mexico.

Currently, Mexico receives about $40 million in anti-drug assistance, a number expected to increase dramatically with the next budget. Mexican officials have confirmed they have been negotiating with the US on the new aid package.


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