Our Strategic Interest in Trade with Colombia

by Dan Christman

Five former commanders of the U.S. Southern Command have sent an open letter to Congress supporting the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.  The letter clearly lays out why the agreement is in our national interest.  Here is the text of the letter:

Open Letter to Congress from Former Commanders of the U.S. Southern Command Supporting the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement

We are writing to urge your support for the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. This vital agreement will advance U.S. interests in Colombia, a strategically located country that is arguably our closest ally in Latin America. It will also underscore our deep commitment to stability and growth in the strategically important Andean region, which depends on Colombia’s continued progress as a resilient and democratic society.

Colombia’s transformation over the past decade is a triumph of brave and principled Colombians. It is also a remarkable achievement of bipartisan U.S. foreign policy. Violence has fallen to its lowest level in a generation, and 45,000 fighters have been demobilized as the country’s narco-guerrilla groups have lost legitimacy. While drug-trafficking poses a continuing threat, Colombia’s leaders have eliminated two-thirds of its opium production, and more than 500 traffickers have been extradited during the Uribe administration — by far the most extraditions from any country to the United States.

Colombia’s economic resurgence has been a critical factor in its recent progress. Robust investment has boosted economic growth and development. The creation of new jobs has provided tens of thousands of Colombians with long-term alternatives to narcotics trafficking or illegal emigration.

The U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will build upon these recent advances to enhance the long-term prospects for peace, stability, and development in Colombia. Providing new incentives for investment and job creation, this landmark accord will help ensure that Colombia stays on the path of economic openness, the rule of law, and transparency.

It is in our national interest to help Colombia progress along the road toward democratic consolidation and economic development. This trade agreement will advance U.S. security and economic interests by forging a deeper partnership.

Finally, approving this agreement will meet our duty to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Colombians as they have stood by the United States as friends and allies. For all of these reasons, we strongly urge Congress to approve the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.

Sincerely,

Gen. James T. Hill
Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command 2002-2004

Gen. Peter Pace
Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command 2000-2001

Gen. Charles E. Wilhelm
Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command 1997-2000

Gen. Barry McCaffrey
Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command 1994-1996

Gen. George Joulwan
Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command 1990-1993

Comments

[Francesca]

No one argues that the history of Colombia in recent times has been bloody -- with drug cartels, terrorists, and paramilitary involved. However, under incredibly difficult conditions, President Uribe has instituted significant and demonstrable improvements in the situation. According to the same report cited above:
"Government steps to improve the human rights and security situation showed demonstrable results. Government statistics indicated that during the year there were decreases in massacres (34 percent) and kidnappings (29 percent). The Justice and Peace Law process helped clarify more than 3,000 crimes and led to the exhumation of 1,196 remains in 1,009 mass graves. The Supreme Court and prosecutor general's investigations of links between politicians and paramilitary groups implicated 52 congressman, 11 governors, and 19 mayors, a number of whom were in jail at year's end."

[Paul Garver]

A new report on the human rights situation in Colombia documents increased collaboration between the Colombian security forces and paramilitary groups. Government security forces carried out at least 128 extrajudicial killings in the first half of 2007, up from 92 in the first half of 2006. 52 members of the Colombian parliament, the overwhelming majority members of President Uribé's party, are under investigation for conspring with illegal right-wing paramilitary groups. Is this government really the one we choose to make our primary strategic partner in Latin America.

The information listed above is excerpted from a report on human rights practices in Colombia covering the year 2007 released on March 11, 2008 by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor of the U.S. State Department.