The New York Times
May 4, 2005
Flawed Plan for Colombia

To the Editor:
Re "Anti-Drug Gains in Colombia Don't Reduce Flow to U.S." (news article, April 28):

The fact that Plan Colombia has done little or nothing to reduce the flow of drugs coming into the United States should come as no surprise to policy makers.

For more than two decades, United States policy in Colombia has focused on dishing out large sums of money to arm and train the Colombian police and armed forces with the goal of destroying the country's coca fields. Alternative development programs that were promised to help poor farmers make the transition from coca to legal crops are still not in place, while financing for humanitarian assistance and the strengthening of judicial and civil institutions is lacking.

Efforts to foster a peaceful solution to Colombia's continuing conflict and the creation of a functioning democracy will do far more in reducing the flow of drugs to the United States than the militarized approach that has been tried for far too long with little success.

Michelle Ciarrocca
New York, April 28, 2005
The writer is senior research associate at the World Policy Institute.