Another Trade Mistake: Colombia Deal Would Worsen a Bad Situation

By Arnie Alpert

Supporters of a new trade agreement with Colombia have said that the deal would bolster efforts by the South American country to improve human rights and spur economic development, to the benefit of both countries. However, a closer look suggests that the corruption and violence run so deeply within the Colombian government that any talk of “free trade” should be met with skepticism.

Colombia’s political and economic climate is entrenched in deep inequalities. Decades of conflict with guerrilla groups, the rise of right-wing death squads tied to the military, and trafficking in illegal drugs contribute to widespread poverty in a country rich in natural resources.

Additionally, the Colombian government and army received $6 billion, in mostly military U.S. aid since 2001, to ‘fight the war on drugs and terror’-- despite the fact that both the government and military are closely linked to right wing death squads that are responsible for most of the country’s human rights abuses. Furthermore, after seven years of anti-drug counterinsurgency aid, the “war” model clearly has failed. Production of cocaine is up, not down.

Moreover, high-level corruption is part of a pattern of widespread human rights abuses. Today more than sixty members of the Colombian Congress are under investigation for ties to right wing death squads. Among them is President Alvaro Uribe’s cousin, former Senator Mario Uribe Escobar, who was recently arrested. Former intelligence officer Rafael Garcia, himself imprisoned for his role in covering up the criminal histories of para-military leaders, testified that members of the armed forces and government ministries, too, are enmeshed with the illegal militias.

Additionally, Colombia continues to be the most dangerous country for trade unionists, based on the number of assassinations which take place each year. Arguments that the rate of political murders is on the decline are unconvincing. The National Labor College, based in Medellin, reported a “worrying increase in assassinations against unionized workers” which in the first 3 months of 2008 occurred at nearly twice the rate of the same period last year.

There is no reason to believe a trade agreement would improve the situation. To the contrary, an influx of duty-free agricultural products and increased pressure for production of cash crops for export will most likely force out small farmers, just as NAFTA did in Mexico. Farmers who cannot earn a livelihood will feel increased pressure to migrate or join the drug trade. In a country where nearly 4 million people have already been displaced by civil war, that is a recipe for instability, not security.

Likewise, in the United States, NAFTA-style trade agreements are a significant factor in the ‘race to the bottom,’ where the search for cheaper wages drives jobs to countries where workers rights are even more disrespected than they are here.

For Colombia, a trade agreement with the United States will make a bad situation even worse. For the United States, a trade deal with Colombia will add to economic insecurity at home with no boost for security abroad.

Arnie Alpert is the New Hampshire Program Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee.

New Aid Package Imperfect but Offers Significant Changes

The new aid package is far from perfect. But there are some positive and significant changes thanks to your hard work.

The military aid was cut by $141.5 million (31%), and funding for inhumane and environmentally harmful aerial spraying program has also been cut. Meanwhile there is an increase in economic and sustainable development aid of $97.4 million (71%) with $15 million of the development aid slated for Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities which make up some of the most impoverished and negatively affected by the ongoing conflict.

The new legislation ties 30% of the aid (versus 25% in previous years) to human rights conditions which include: that Colombian army officials be investigated and prosecuted for violating human rights, and that the Colombian government guarantee that the army is respecting the private property of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. In the past two years $110 million dollars have been held by the State Department due to Colombian government and army’s inability to meet these conditions. A new conditions places restrictions on the use of US aid for investment in oil palm—used in the making of lotions, cookies and ethanol. Oil palm is and export crop that has led to the displacement of thousands of Afro-Colombians and Indigenous peoples as corporations in tandem with right wing paramilitary groups usurp the land belonging to these communities for this environmentally unfriendly crop.

These are results that should be celebrated. There is much more to be done this year given that the Department of Defense bill, which authorizes more military aid to Colombia, is highly nontransparent and difficult to monitor. Congratulations on all of your hard work and let’s work to make the rest of the military aid in the Department of Defense bill more transparent and accountable.