You know what still amazes me? Many people still believe that the war in Colombia is about drugs and the US intervention is to stop the drug trade to the Global North. In this blog, i have written many times that drugs is a small part of what pushes the war in Colombia, but an important part to understand. But if, US intervention was only about stopping the drug trade they would not say that Plan Colombia is one of the greatest success stories in US Foreign Policy History and a policy that they are implementing in Mexico, Central America, Afganistan.
We must ask ourselves why is that? How can the US Say that their great success story is Foreign Policy history consist of 5,000,000 displaced people, 60,000 disappeared, and a countless number murdered? while, at the same time, the flow of drugs to the Global North has not decreased?
Well, the answer is land. which is also the root of the conflict in Colombia, going as far back as the beginning for the war. we cannot talk about the the conflict in Colombia without talking about LAND. Who has it? who wants it?
US policy has helped remove 5,000,000 people from their lands, and those that didn't leave and stayed and struggled where killed. A policy that is continued today. Where does this land go after people are displaced and killed? well to the multinational corporations and the mega-projects - of course. the palm oil companies, the mining companies, the oil companies, the banana companies. ect ect.
well now, that these companies have access to these lands and are now exploiting them and for that the united states is happy and they consider Plan Colombia the greatest success story in US History.
However the story does not end yet. we still see thousands of Colombians risking their lives non-violently struggling for Human rights, Justice, and a right to remain on and/or return to their land.
I would like to offer this video that a friend of mine produced. May the title speak for itself: "Land and Territory: The Key to Peace in Colombia. "
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