Something has been bothering me about the Guardian’s reaction to the rescue of Betancourt et al. In its editorial in last Saturday’s print edition, it said:
‘Ten years ago Colombia was at risk of becoming a failed state. Armed rebels and violent extra-legal groups contended for territory, money and control of the drug trade while the institutions and agencies of government dwindled in importance. How countries dig themselves out of these black holes is always mysterious, but in Colombia’s case deliverance came in the form of Álvaro Uribe, now in his second term as president and a hero to some (but not all) Colombians who re-elected him in 2006 by a landslide.’
The Guardian gets half the story – the Uribe effect – but misses the other half. There is nothing mysterious about what has happened in Colombia. Former Spook puts it well:
“Colombia’s remarkable transition is the result of two, interrelated events. The first is Plan Colombia, the U.S. assistance package aimed at reforming Colombia’s military and curbing the narco and terrorist violence that once gripped that country. Despite objections from some Congressional Democrats, the plan was implemented in 2000, with the promise of billions in U.S. military aid …
“The second critical event was the 2002 election of Alvaro Uribe as Colombia’s president. Uribe’s predecessor tried to make a deal with the FARC–granting the terrorists large swaths of territory. It was a fool’s errand; the emboldened terrorists simply stepped up their attacks, overruning several Colombian military bases in or near FARC strongholds.
“In fact, the situation was so grim that on Uribe’s inaguration day six years ago, the terrorists were surrounding Bogata and Colombia’s army had been largely reduced to a garrison force, incapable of sustained operations in FARC territory. Making good on Uribe’s promise to take the fight to the enemy would require a massive overhaul of the nation’s military.
“Under the tutlege of American trainers–mostly Army Green Berets–the Colombians began weeding out corrupt or incompetent officers, while elevating and training a new generation of military leaders. A Green Beret Major, who was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times earlier this year, describe the creation of elite, 28-man commando teams, organized and equipped to carry out long, intelligence-gathering missions in terrorist regions, or lighting strikes against insurgent targets. One of those units carried out during Wednesday’s daring rescue mission.”
To repeat: there is nothing mysterious about Colombia’s successful struggle against rebels and terrorists. The secret of enforcing the rule of law is to have enough properly trained and equipped soldiers and police to do the work. Odd that the Guardian should obfuscate this elementary point. Wouldn’t have anything to do with being reluctant to give any credit to the US, would it?
