U.$. funds terror against Colombian peoples

by a RAIL comrade and MIM

Amerika has stepped up its attack against the Colombian people. 
Amerika has vowed deeper support for Colombia's National Police, 
the Colombian Armed Forces and (unofficially) right-wing 
paramilitary forces fighting Colombian guerrillas. The Clinton 
administration now seeks Congressional approval for a $1.6 billion 
package allegedly to fight so-called "narco-traffickers, 
terrorists and organized criminals."(1)

The proposed package of $1.6 billion over the next two years is an 
increase from $289 million in 1999. Between 1997 and 2000, funding 
to the Colombian government will have jumped from $85 million to 
$800 million annually.(1) About $600 million of the package would 
be used to train Colombian "counter-narcotics" battalions and buy 
30 Blackhawk helicopters.(2) The money would also fund a new air 
base in Ecuador near the Colombian border and radar for the 
Colombian military, allegedly to intercept suspected drug 
flights.(3) Amerika would also send another 30 Huey helicopters to 
patrol guerrilla-dominated jungle areas.(2)

Currently, up to 200 Amerikan military advisors in Colombia assist 
government military operations. 1,000 U$ marines are stationed at 
a military base on the Colombian Pacific coast at Bahia Malaga.(4)

In his recent trip to Colombia, General Barry McCaffrey, the 
director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, reiterated 
Amerika's commitment to avoid large-scale deployment of Amerikan 
troops. He stated: "It is Colombian sovereignty at stake, and it 
must be Colombian ideas that guide this strategy."(2) Amerika 
understands that its neo-colonial strategy of arming reactionary 
puppets has been more successful than direct military troop 
deployment. Amerika would prefer to avoid direct use of Amerikan 
troops. It can instead send military aid to Amerikan-trained 
murderers and send the bill (with interest) to the Colombian 
people.

Support of paramilitary terror

During McCaffrey's tour of the Tres Esuinas training base, Human 
Rights Watch released a report further detailing ties between the 
Colombian Armed Forces and right-wing paramilitary groups. The 
u.s. government claims to be intolerant of links between the army 
and the paramilitary. Last year, Colombian President Andres 
Pastrana even forced the resignation of some high-ranking officers 
in a show of cleaning up the military.

At least half of Colombia's army brigades work with the 
paramilitaries.(5) Recent reports provide additional evidence that 
the army and paramilitaries have threatened, attacked and 
assassinated civilians and members of watch-dog organizations.(5)

Information about this connection has long been public knowledge, 
but the United Snakes must preserve its mythological image as 
moral when it comes to so-called human rights. In 1997, Amerikan 
legislation passed prohibits Amerikan military aid to units with a 
record of abuses. Amerikan training and backing of forces 
responsible for atrocities is no surprise. But for those who 
believe that reform and electoralism can bring about progressive 
change, Amerika's handiwork in Colombia demonstrates that 
imperialist interests override any liberal paper legislation.

U$ military intervention and involvement in supporting Colombia's 
reactionary regime is directed and coordinated by Miami South Com 
which had a budget of $566 million for 1998.(4) South Com's 
commander, Charles Wilhelm, collaborates with top Colombian 
officials with direct ties to right wing death squads. For 
example, Wilhelm met with Harold Bedoya Nava in 1997 to discuss U$ 
military operations.(4) Nava is a graduate of and instructor at 
the U$ School of Assassins. According to the School of the 
Americas Watch, Nava committed "human rights" atrocities and is 
believed to be the leader of the American Anti-Communist Alliance, 
a right-wing paramilitary deathsquad.(4)

The u.s. claims to be fighting the war against drugs, but money it 
sends is being used to smash opposition to the Colombian 
government. War on drugs rhetoric merely disguises Amerika's war 
against the people. The u.s. knows very well that it is financing 
right-wing paramilitary forces against the people when it funds 
the Colombian government, as documented well by Human Rights Watch 
in 1996.(6)

Because of the intimate link between the drug trade and the 
paramilitaries, there is also significant evidence linking the 
government to the drug trade. In fact, a number of right wing 
paramilitaries are made up of former drug cartel forces.(7)

The u.$. does not care what means are used to ensure the political 
stability of its neo-colonies. Political stability is important 
for Amerikan imperialist superprofit extraction.

Imperialism thwarts development

Colombians are poor despite the country's rich natural resources. 
Of the total population of 39 million, 18% to 50% live below the 
poverty line; and the top 1% of the population receives 47% of the 
nation's household income.(8,9) The landed elite (less than 3% of 
the population) control over 70% of arable land while 57% of the 
poorest farmers subsist on less than 3%.(10) Unemployment rate 
statistics range from 20% to 40%.(7,9)

No fear. McCaffrey stated that $270 million of the package would 
go toward "alternative economic development programs", after the 
some Colombia leaders criticized the deal for not addressing 
social and economic problems.(2) Amerika often throws in some 
economic planning rhetoric as it attacks the people. Oppressive 
material conditions turn the masses against the government and 
toward potential revolutionary struggle. This is similar to 
Amerika's minimal development programs within Black neighborhoods 
to build an image of concern for the people's welfare. But as we 
have examined at length elsewhere, economic development programs 
set up by imperialists only profit the imperialists. As the multi-
national corporations make a profit from the economic development, 
small Colombian businesses are stifled and the Colombian people 
are stuck with the so-called development's loan payments.

The history of U$ involvement in Colombia is long and bloody. 
Successive Colombian governments have employed the same low 
intensity counter insurgency warfare techniques developed by the 
United $tates around the world to combat so-called internal 
enemies, primarily armed national liberation movements. This 
expanded during the Reagan administration. The U$ International 
Military Education and Training Program trained about 7,000 
soldier between 1984 and 1992. Between 1990 and 1992, the u.$. 
trained over 2,000 Colombian officers.(7)

The United Snakes-funded military and death squads killed over 
67,000 people between 1988 and 1995.(7) In 1998, the military and 
death squads murdered more than 4,832 and massacred another 
1,332.(11) Amerikan special forces continue to train Colombian 
commando units, allegedly to fight the drug war. Amerikan 
intelligence planes routinely fly so-called counter-narcotics 
missions over Colombian airspace to gather guerrilla activity 
intelligence. The u.$. then passes the information to Colombian 
forces.(12)

Terrorization of the civilian population rests at the heart of 
counterinsurgency warfare. Tactics include intimidation, torture, 
imprisonment and murder of opponents to the government. The 
purpose of counterinsurgency warfare is to destroy popular support 
networks of guerrilla armies that could effectively challenge the 
technologically superior imperialist-backed armies. Warfare is 
justified against an incredibly wide range of legitimate 'military 
targets'.

The Colombian government's scrambling to build an image of 
stability stems from its inability to meet the people's basic 
needs -- food, jobs and real economic development. The government 
cannot meet basic needs because it is run in the interests of 
comprador lackeys, willing to murder Colombian people for profit 
kick backs received by the u.$.

Maoism remains of utmost relevance to the oppressed and exploited 
masses, the majority of whom live in neo-colonies like Colombia. 
Imperialist-backed puppets will defend the status quo with arms. 
Therefore, Protracted People's War is necessary to mobilize the 
masses and seize state power. A proletarian dictatorship can 
address the people's needs, unhampered by the minority's material 
interest in profit. As revolutionaries within the United Snakes, 
MIM organizes anti-imperialist support for national liberation of 
all oppressed nations. Our job is to build opposition to 
imperialism, principally Amerikan imperialism, and weaken it from 
within the belly of the beast. 

Notes: 1. Los Angeles Times, 8 August 1999, pp. A1, A11-12; and 8 
January 2000. 2. New York Times, 25 February 2000, p. A8. 3. Los 
Angeles Times, 12 January 2000. 4. Z Magazine, December 1999, pp. 
11-12. 5. Boston Globe, 24 February 2000, p.A5. 6. Human Rights 
Watch, "Colombia's Killer Networks" 1996. 7. Javier Giraldo, Noam 
Chomsky in Colombia: The Genocidal Democracy , Monroe, ME: Common 
Courage Press, 1996, pp. 10 - 16. 8. CIA World Factbook, 1999. 9. 
Los Angeles Times, 25 August 1999. 10. Report by Alberto Yepes 
Palacio, a member of the Colombia Platform for Human Rights, 
Democracy and Development, for Social Watch. 11. According to the 
U.$. based human rights organization Colombia Support Network. 12. 
Time Magazine, 9 August 1999, p. 51.