SHIFTING STRATEGY

America Needs To Clarify Its Expanding Mission In Colombia

One of the more serious cases of mission creep in the war against terror
can be found in the rising U.S. military role in war-torn Colombia.

What was originally cast as U.S. military aid to stamp out Colombia's
cocaine production is becoming a U.S.-led effort to stamp out leftist
rebels there. The strategy for closing the noose and furthering America's
regional interests is problematic. The American people need to know what
our priority is: drugs, the rebels or a stable supply of oil?

All three are legitimate concerns for U.S. security, given the damage drugs
cause to American society, the military stalemate in Colombia's civil war
and the importance of a ready supply of oil in this hemisphere with the
Middle East so unstable. But American troops are no substitute for the
broad domestic reforms Colombia needs to improve internal security on its
own. The new government of Alvaro Uribe has made progress, but deeper U.S.
military involvement is premature.

Under previous policy, the U.S. military role was largely restricted to
support of Colombia's drug-interdiction efforts. In their expanded role,
American troops will train Colombian soldiers and police to attack armed
rebels and paramilitaries. The aid package includes 10 American helicopters
and training for 4,000 members of the security forces. A major new
objective is to secure a pipeline for Occidental Petroleum of Los Angeles,
which the rebels have bombed hundreds of times, claiming it is a symbol of
Yankee imperialism. The strategy marks a major shift.

The risks of entanglement were always great, but broadening the focus from
drugs to the rebels and the oil supply will give ordinary Colombians
further reason to question America's true interests. Uribe should have
waited until he had a stronger context for new U.S. military assistance. He
needs to consolidate his power, show gains against the rebels and build a
record of respect for democracy and human rights.

Washington's role in the region had become more controversial even before
the expanded military mission. Public opposition to aerial spraying of
Colombia's drug crop has grown since a U.S. government report that the
chemical mix, which the State Department plans to switch, might harm people
and the environment.

U.S. and Colombian officials also need to improve their effort to induce
Colombian farmers to eradicate their coca crops. The plan, subsidized by
American taxpayers, has fallen short of its goals, partly because of poor
follow-up and distrust between farmers and the Colombian government. These
steps would lessen the cynicism about American motives, and reduce the risk
that our deeper military involvement will be counterproductive for us and
for Colombia.