Clinton Administration Foreign Drug Policy In Colombia :: essays research papers fc

Since the introduction of narcotics in the United States, American society has felt the effects of do do drugss practice session in all aspects of daily living. As drug use heightened to new levels in the 1980s the chaparral Administration chose to asseverate a "war" on drugs. Never before in our tarradiddle had crime been combated with war. This war led to the militarization of the United States tactics for overcoming abominable drug use in the U.S. Instead of choosing to combat drug use by putting greater effort into reducing demand the Bush Administration chose to decrease illegal drug supply. This required reducing drug supplies from Latin America, an area where most of the illegal drugs are produced and trafficked. The Clinton Administration has chosen to maintain the drug "war". The administration has not changed the distri furtherion of notes that are used for combating the drug problem. The drug war has continued to institute limited success, yet mil itarization has increased along with spending. Since the beginning of the drug "war" Latin American nations have been targeted by the United States. Latin American nations are believed to be the among the major illegal drug producers in the world. Illicit drug cultivation has more than tripled in the last quadruplet or five years. Today, Colombia is the worlds leading source of cocaine and the leading raiser of coca, the raw material for cocaine (Reuters). In 1986 Washington passed the International Narcotics supremacy Act which required foreign countries to cooperate with U.S. efforts in drug-enforcement. The countries could not be "certified" by the U.S. unless they complied with U.S. demands. The executive order given by the electric chair is passed through Congress, where it is negotiated and then ratified. Certification means a continuation of facilitate from the United States and gains U.S. favor in international financial situations. Most Latin American c ountries oppose the process but agree to the laws demanded (Casteneda). Colombia is included in the group of nations seeking re-certification every year. In 1996 Colombia did not receive certification, but was given a "vital national interest waiver". In 1997 Colombia again failed to be certified by the U.S. because it was believed that the Colombian government was not doing everything in its power to combat narcotics. The penalties for decertification included the prohibition of more than $1.5 zillion in U.S. trade financing and investment guarantees. "Decertification" also means that the U.S. is have to vote against multilateral loans for Colombia in international financial institutions.