Violence In Colombia
Johnny Mrlik
Final Draft Pearlman
Due: December 14th, 2015
Violence and US Intervention in the Drug Trade in Colombia
Colombia is the tenth most unequal country in the world and the largest supplier of cocaine to North America. Despite having the 3rd largest economy in Latin America, Colombia has high levels of rural poverty and drug production, causing violence. In this paper, I will discuss the violence enacted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) when they took over the drug trade and the steps that have been taken to help stem the illegal drug trade such as Plan Colombia. I will also explore the steps we can take to further assist in the fight against the drug trade in Colombia. The conclusion I came to is with greater intervention, focusing on interdiction and an extended invasive policy, the drug trade can be pacified by a great degree. …show more content…
They called themselves the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC. In the beginning, they worked with the Colombian army to try and combat the FARC’s influence. After a while, however, they became more and more involved in the drug trade. In the late 90s and early 2000s, most of the conflict between the FARC and the AUC was for control over drug trafficking routes and cocaine plantations. This drug-fueled violence forced over five million Colombians from their homes.
Cocaine comes from the coca plant, a small bush that is chopped and mixed with cement, urea, or lime to add a base to the coca leaves. This is known as “salting”. The chopped, mixed leaves are then soaked in a combination of gasoline and acidic solution to reduce the lead content. Then the mixture is drained, with the producers then extracting the alkaloid (cocaine sulfate) from the leaves. A coca paste is then mixed with large amounts of gasoline and other inputs to white the coca base. The coca base is then transitioned into
Final Draft Pearlman
Due: December 14th, 2015
Violence and US Intervention in the Drug Trade in Colombia
Colombia is the tenth most unequal country in the world and the largest supplier of cocaine to North America. Despite having the 3rd largest economy in Latin America, Colombia has high levels of rural poverty and drug production, causing violence. In this paper, I will discuss the violence enacted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) when they took over the drug trade and the steps that have been taken to help stem the illegal drug trade such as Plan Colombia. I will also explore the steps we can take to further assist in the fight against the drug trade in Colombia. The conclusion I came to is with greater intervention, focusing on interdiction and an extended invasive policy, the drug trade can be pacified by a great degree. …show more content…
They called themselves the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC. In the beginning, they worked with the Colombian army to try and combat the FARC’s influence. After a while, however, they became more and more involved in the drug trade. In the late 90s and early 2000s, most of the conflict between the FARC and the AUC was for control over drug trafficking routes and cocaine plantations. This drug-fueled violence forced over five million Colombians from their homes.
Cocaine comes from the coca plant, a small bush that is chopped and mixed with cement, urea, or lime to add a base to the coca leaves. This is known as “salting”. The chopped, mixed leaves are then soaked in a combination of gasoline and acidic solution to reduce the lead content. Then the mixture is drained, with the producers then extracting the alkaloid (cocaine sulfate) from the leaves. A coca paste is then mixed with large amounts of gasoline and other inputs to white the coca base. The coca base is then transitioned into