COLOMBIA NEEDS U.S. HELP

Some people argue, with merit, that the United States ought to work harder
to control the demand for illegal drugs within its own borders before it
spends billions to help other countries close off the supply. If Americans
didn't buy cocaine, for example, foreign drug lords wouldn't be as
interested in cultivating the coca leaf.

True, but in Colombia that argument easily could be turned on its head.
There, America's demand for drugs has torn apart what was a stable
democracy and has prompted violence and chaos. The United States has a
responsibility to help the government fight the forces that are feeding the
demand, and that is why the Senate's decision this week to appropriate $1.3
billion to train and equip military forces there is a good thing. The
Senate bill now must be reconciled with a House version that would
appropriate $1.7 billion.

To be successful, the United States must fight the drug war both at home
and abroad. It isn't enough merely to work on stemming demand at home. In
addition, Colombia is an important Latin American ally whose government is
in desperate need.

At the moment, two leftist guerrilla armies have set themselves against the
government while, at the same time, they are protecting powerful drug
lords. A right-wing paramilitary organization is fighting the leftists, and
the basic stability of all national institutions is in jeopardy. According
to the Heritage Institute's annual "Index of Economic Freedom," the two
leftist groups control about two-thirds of all illegal coca cultivation and
earn about $700 million from the drug trade, as well as from kidnappings
and extortion. One of these groups has vowed to establish a communist
regime that would outlaw all private investment and trade.

Meanwhile, Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine, providing
nearly all of the drug being used in the United States. It also exports
most of the heroin being used here.

Obviously, this wouldn't be so without the American demand. But Colombia
now faces challenges that go beyond just the drug trade. Three
well-equipped and trained battalions - a force the Senate appropriation
would buy - would make enough of a dent to help maintain stability. That's
more than just a good idea. It's a responsibility.