In Latin America, leftist leaders evict U.S. drug warriors

Bolivia has given U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers three months to leave the country, claiming that agents were stirring up political strife in the deeply divided nation. This fall, Ecuadoreans voted yes to a new constitution that calls for the closure by next year of one of the most important U.S. operations in the war against drugs. And for the fourth year in a row, Venezuela was singled out by President Bush -- as was Bolivia for the first time -- for having ‘failed demonstrably’ in anti-drug cooperation. The U.S. has long had a presence in Latin America to stem the northward drug flow; Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia are the world’s largest cocaine producers. The U.S. still boasts strong partnerships with many countries, such as Colombia and Mexico. But in others, particularly those led by leftists who have risen in collective condemnation of Washington, leaders are increasingly severing ties.