30 January 2007

Colombia - enriching the rich

Colombia is supposedly an important American ally. It gets huge amounts of aid primarily in the military arena ostensibly to fight the flow of drugs to America and which is craved by Americans. Where the government forces have made inroads against the FARC guerrillas right wing paramilitaries have moved in and seized land, around 26,000 square miles, from local peasants and small farmers. Much of this land, to my complete surprise, is prized for either its oil or mineral deposits.

The American back government of President Uribe is said to be dissolving these militias but it unlikely that most of the legitimate landowners will even return to their land due to policies put in place by the Uribe government.

Will the US take the issue up with the Colombian government and force them strip these fascists of their ill-gotten gains?

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Alright. I'm back. I was just writhing about on the floor seized by fits of laughter.

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It is this sort of duplicity, or realpolitik if you are Henry Kissinger (and I do pity you if you are), that has been the hallmark of American foreign policy dating back well over a century, and which continues to ensure that we are distrusted or hated by most vulnerable people on the planet. Will it ever change? It is unlikely to go away completely but perhaps, with another President, it might cease to be one of the most notable of the faces we present to the world.

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