Mounting analysis and opinion reports the US use of Colombian Military bases has become a headache for President Uribe even before the bases are fully operational. This Military plan isolates Colombia within the continent --Peru and Mexico who have not spoken against the bases simply stay quiet, the US government refers to the plan publicly as a “bureaucratic error” and the FARC (guerilla group) has found a new voice “unimagined in its most golden dreams.”
Initially claims were the stepped up US military presence was essential to control “narcoterrorists” since Plan Colombia is “decaying.” (fails to stem the flow of cocaine to US markets) However Colombia’s neighbor,Venezuelan President Chavez, has maintained that the US has bigger plans, including to overthrow him, and to use military force against the social movement he leads in Latin America. FARC leaders are incorporating into this social movement Bolivariana which many progressive leaders regard as extremist, anachronistic and out of step with the times, But as details of the US Military agreement become know, Chavez’s views gain ground, credence and international attention.
From the high hill, rugged and dry in Piojo where displaced families now live we looked down at the wide expanse of flat agricultural lands and the broad river flowing into the Pacific. This agricultural land is sited for a new international airport. The existing Barranquilla airport is slated to transform to exclusive use by Colombian and US Militaries. The new civilian airport would provide easier access for potential new owners of yet-to-be built condos and hotels along the Pacific.
What kind of development brings peace? What is justice? And Human Rights for the Displaced?
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