MIM Notes #226    January 15, 2001

U.$. tries to hide support of Colombian military brutality

By MC17

More news from Colombia demonstrates that the u.$.-funded 
Colombian military works hand-in-hand with murderous 
paramilitaries. Fifty-seven former military officers in Colombia 
joined the paramilitary group AUC shortly after being forced into 
retirement in mid-October in an attempt to clean up the Colombian 
military's image.

These 57 officers were among 388 men forced into retirement, some 
of whom even the Colombian government admitted were "suspected" of 
having links to paramilitary groups or drug traffickers. The 
Colombian government promised this year to curb paramilitary 
activities in the country in return for $1.3 billion in funding 
from the united snakes. 

The u.$. government does not really oppose the brutality of 
military regimes and paramilitary groups in Third World countries. 
The united $tates itself created some of the most brutal, 
including the Contras in Nicaragua and the Pinochet dictatorship 
in Chile. But public image is important and the 
military/paramilitary brutality in Colombia has created enough 
public opposition that the u.s. government has been forced to 
respond with at least some lip service to "human rights".

In further attempts to cover up the u.$. support for the military 
brutality in Colombia, the Clinton administration has hired a 
group of former u.$. military personnel to advise the Colombian 
military. The consultants, working under a $6 million contract, 
come from Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a company 
run by retired u.$. military officers. The MPRI is training the 
Colombian armed forces and National Police in military logistics, 
intelligence and personnel management.

This outsourcing helps provide political cover for the u.$. 
government while also bypassing congressional oversight (although 
congress already approved the arrangement so this oversight does 
not actually provide any help to the people of Colombia). Former 
u.$. ambassador to Colombia Myles Frechette pointed another 
benefit to this arrangement: "If somebody gets killed or whatever, 
you can say it's not a member of the armed forces. Nobody wants to 
see American military men killed."

For the u.$. government, the benefits of paying the MPRI and the 
Colombian military/paramilitaries to do the dirty work are clear. 
As we explained in an article in MIM Notes #212, Colombian is 
important to the u.s. economically because of its oil. As we noted 
in that article: "Colombia is Latin America's third-largest 
exporter of oil to the united snakes. It is no coincidence that 
Amerika prioritizes only two other countries, Israel and Egypt, 
when sending military support. Amerikan military exploits cannot 
be analyzed as attempts to develop peace. Current instability is 
enabling the u.$ to swoop in, take control and set the stage for 
more efficient surplus value extraction. Maoists do not consider 
imperialist exploitation to be peaceful."

While popular opposition to the u.s. funding of murder and 
brutality in Colombia has forced some small changes in the 
appearance of this project, the situation for the people of 
Colombia has not improved. Only by overthrowing the imperialist-
puppet dictatorship in Colombia and taking power for themselves, 
will the people of Colombia be able to implement real change and 
lasting peace.

Notes:

Weekly News Update on the Americas, Issue #567, December 10, 2000.