A War without Borders...
Colombia, the Price of Oil & the War on Terrorism

The U.S. Role in Colombia:
Colombia has been a target of the “war on terrorism” since before it was titled such. On Sept. 10, 2001, the U.S. State Department designated 3 armed groups within Colombia as “terrorist organizations” -- the guerilla forces: FARC & ELN and the Paramilitary group, the AUC.

The connection between the “war on terrorism,” “war on drugs,” Colombia and the SOA is simple. The Colombian military is among one of the most corrupt and brutal militaries in Latin America. Despite this, more than 10,000 Colombian soldiers have been trained in the U.S. at the School of the Americas (SOA), now called the “Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation” (WHISC). Many high ranking Colombian officers, who are graduates of the SOA, continue to be cited for brutal atrocities, including murderous rampages which were conducted in association with the AUC paramilitary (assassins) group, whose tactics include torture and the dismemberment of bodies.

Despite this, since 2000, as part of “Plan Colombia,” the US has allocated over $2 billion for Colombia to purportedly “fight the war on drugs.” Ironically, a 2002 CIA report cites that coca production has increased by 25%! Tens of millions of dollars have gone directly to the notorious Colombian military, and hundreds of millions continue to be allocated to US weapons and chemical manufacturers. This plan, commonly referred to as the “Plan of Death,” has resulted in thousands of human rights atrocities, serious ecological destruction, and has contributed to the displacement of 4 million people. After approving an additional $600 million as part of the “Andean Initiative,” Congress agreed to an additional $100 million specifically earmarked for counter-insurgency offensives, which include protecting the oil pipe lines of LA-based Occidental Petroleum. As in Iraq, we have propped up, supplied and trained despotic dictators and militaries who have little or no regard for human rights; while U.S. petroleum corporations, government contractors, and weapons manufacturers have greatly benefited from the ravages of war and the chaos that ensues.

On April 12, 2003, Congress approved over $100 million to “fight terrorism” in Colombia as a part of the emergency spending bill to finance the war in Iraq. This is in addition to the $500 million approved in Jan. of 2003 in the regular budget. And already, the Bush Administration has asked for another $700 million for 2004. The civil war in Colombia is being fueled and financed by U.S funded operations, with little to no concern for the effect it is having on the civilian population.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Oil Politics:
Many experts believe that when Iraqi oil production is privatized, which the Pentagon currently is overseeing, OPEC will crumble as large, unregulated amounts of oil are pumped out of Iraq. The results will be more and cheaper oil available to the U.S., who sees OPEC as detrimental to the capitalist world economy.
These are tactics we have seen in Latin America for decades with U.S. corporations tapping into oil throughout the Americas. With Venezuela being the only OPEC member in the western hemisphere, the U.S. feels an urgency to find significant oil sources in South America, which will further free us from a reliance on OPEC. The Andean region, Colombia specifically, has some of the largest untapped oil fields on the continent, with the U.S. currently pushing the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) to open up markets and enable multinational corporations to reap the profits. As we are already seeing in Iraq in setting up “temporary” rule, this will only be done through closed door meetings and military strength to implement the decisions that are made. Targets are most often farmers, indigenous communities, and labor unions fighting for their land and resources. Given what we have seen with Iraq, the U.S. supported coup in Venezuela (at least 2 SOA grads were involved), and U.S. military defense of oil pipe lines in Colombia, we should not be surprised by the steps our government will take to secure our “interests,” including calling it a “war on terrorism.”

The Next Target?
If the above isn’t reason enough for concern, many experts are warning that Latin America as a whole will be the next focal point in the “war on terrorism.” For instance, Constantine Menges, former National Security Counsel member, specifically targeted Brazil and Venezuela as the next targets of the Bush administration. He says that Brazil has secretly exported eight tons of uranium to Iraq, and he states that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been and remains a key supporter of terrorism. Ironically, both Brazil and Venezuela remain strong opponents to the FTAA.

The Benefits of War:
The majority of the money ear-marked for Colombia is going primarily to US-based weapons manufacturers in the form of helicopters (costing over $15 million each), chemical corporations, who supply the toxins used for fumigations, and other corporations who use outsourcing to deploy mercenaries to the region. The remaining tens of millions are going directly to the notorious Colombian military.

The theme continues in Iraq as the Texas-based company Halliburton - the firm that Dick Cheney ran until he quit to run for vice president - was secretly contracted (over $76 million) to rebuild Iraqi oil fields. Additionally, the Bechtel Group was awarded nearly $700 million for reconstruction in Iraq for the next 18 months. Most of this will be provided by US tax-payers. The remaining $25 to $100 billion needed to rebuild what the US and Britain destroyed, it is hoped, will be generated through Iraqi oil revenues. The Bush administration has pushed for an end to the sanctions in Iraq - with the sanctions lifted, the US will be the primary force regulating oil sales. Perhaps the US will be able to control Iraqi oil and control who “rebuilds” Iraq’s devastated infrastructure, but will the US be able to control the deepening anti-American sentiment and rise of an Islamic fundamental regime?

PHOTOS from IRAQ (Jan. 2003)
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