Bush’s Colombian Connection

The symbolism of President Bush’s four-hour stopover in Cartagena, Colombia, far exceeds its meager time frame. It is part of his first trip abroad after winning reelection. Bush signaled his solidarity with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who is making progress in a U.S.-backed military struggle against narco-guerrillas and traffickers. Another message was beamed to Congress, which must approve continued funding for Plan Colombia, a multibillion-dollar initiative launched by President Clinton in 2000.

As the president, standing side by side with Uribe, said Monday: “If I didn’t think [Uribe] had an effective strategy and the willingness to fight the [guerrilla organization] FARC, I wouldn’t be standing here in this great nation saying ... I’m going to work with Congress to continue the support. In other words, I believe in results.”

The struggle to restore stability to Colombia is unfinished, but Plan Colombia has so far been a remarkable success. Illegal coca and poppy production has dropped more than 30% since the eradication program began about three years ago. Record amounts of cocaine headed for U.S. ports have been confiscated, and newly vigorous Colombian courts have approved the extradition of the head of the notorious Cali cartel to the U.S.

An all-out Colombian military offensive, aided by hundreds of U.S. military trainers and planners, has pushed the FARC narco-guerrillas into remote rural areas. (A recent doubling of the U.S. troops to 800 was cause for anxiety about mission creep, which would be eased by new assurances that they will not be used in direct combat.)

Under Uribe, Colombians have also found some economic normalization. Tough reforms have brought down the deficit and strengthened national institutions. Wealthy Colombians who fled the country are returning home to a growing economy. At 6%, the inflation rate is the lowest in 30 years.

Bush’s trip to South America was specifically for the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, but he carried an agenda of Latin American issues as well. One is security, exemplified by Colombia’s struggle. Bush also renewed a promise to push Congress for reforms that would regularize immigration from Mexico, and he praised free trade agreements on the continent along the lines of the model set by Chile.

A current trade pact with the Andean nations will expire in 2006, so Bush’s to-do list should include speeding up negotiations for a free trade agreement with Colombia and its Andean neighbors, Peru and Ecuador. Luring impoverished campesinos into illegal cultivation of drugs is simple. Offering them alternative crops that could bring them a livable income is much more difficult.

U.S. attachments to Latin America suffered after the Sept. 11 attacks, despite Bush’s unforced affinity with Mexico and his budding relationship with Mexican President Vicente Fox. This trip signals a revival of dashed hopes, if Bush can this time turn his words into action.