REASSESS THE U.S. ROLE IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN DRUG WARS

Congress should order a new battle plan that fights U.S. drug demand and
roots out drug reliance in Latin economies.

IN ADDITION to reviewing the operational relationship between U.S.
surveillance crews and the Peruvian military, the Bush administration and
Congress should fully reassess the drug-interdiction program that is
drawing this country into the escalation of the South American drug wars.

The tragic deaths last week of two innocent members of an American
missionary family at the trigger-happy hand of a Peruvian fighter pilot who
shot down the small aircraft in which they were flying was a case study in
the naked violation of precautionary procedures.

But the very policy of U.S. engagement in the narco war should be subject
to severe scrutiny. Temporarily grounding the surveillance flights by the
administration pending a full investigation is the correct first step.

Central Intelligence Agency crew members aboard the U.S. plane first erred
by refusing to fly close enough to the small craft to identify its large
registration number on the fuselage. U.S. officials said the crew decided
not to risk "spooking" the plane to cross into Brazilian or Colombian air
space, where pursuing aircraft could not follow.

The Peruvian interceptor then closed in, took none of the prescribed
identification and warning precautions and opened fire, causing the small
plane to crash land in the jungle.

Such aggressive action raises questions about the competence - or
willingness - of the Peruvian military to conduct itself as a reliable ally.

Airborne interdiction in Peru may have had some success in stemming drug
trafficking by air, but the trade has moved onto back roads and rivers, and
to a large extent into Brazil and Colombia.

Until the United States opens a new front against the insatiable demand for
drugs at home, and supports massive redevelopment for South American
peasants ensnared in the narco economy, this country faces becoming
increasingly bogged down in a protracted war in which further tragedies
against innocents almost certainly will multiply.