The Clinton Administration has chosen to maintain the drug "war". The administration has not changed the distribution of funds that are used for combating the drug problem. The drug war has continued to demonstrate limited success, yet militarization has increased along with spending. Since the beginning of the drug "war" Latin American nations have been targeted by the United States. Latin American nations are believed to be the among the major illegal drug producers in the world. Illicit drug cultivation has more than tripled in the last four

The certification was only partial however because the administration believed that Colombia's counter-narcotics efforts still faced serious deficiencies (CNN). The certification of Colombia means greater ease for access to U.S. aid to counter-narcotics efforts. In addition to aid, Colombia would experience fewer economic disadvantages because of certification.

On December 1, 1998 the U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen and Colombian defense Minister Rodrigo Lloreda announced the signing of a cooperation agreement between militaries. The agreement enacted a bilateral "working group" of Colombian and U.S. defense officials and the formation of an army battalion devoted solely to counter-narcotics operations (WOLA). A large share of the U.S. funds is to be spent implementing four new "counter-drug" battalions. The purpose of these battalions is to provide increased security to police counter-narcotics action in certain guerrilla held areas (Economist). Presently 75 U.S. Army Rangers are overseeing the training of nearly 1000 Colombian battalion troops (WOLA). The Republican-lead U.S. Congress has been a long-standing advocate of providing additional military helicopters and military trainers to Colombia (CNN). Republicans have been at the front of proposing legislation to send aid to Colombia. House of Representatives Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, House Government Reform Committee Chairman Dan Burton, and Senator Jesse Helms have developed aggressive policy to aid Colombia in combating cocaine production (Congressional Quart. Weekly Report). In October of this year President Clinton released a statement which called for the redistribution of funds from the Department of Defense, from the Department of Justice, Department of State and Department of Transportation. These funds in the amount of $72.55 m were to be used "for the purpose of providing international anti-narcotics assistance to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Panama." According to Clinton, the funds were redirected because "it is in the national interest of the United States" (Weekly Comp. Presidential Doc.). In October of 1995 Clinton had declared the situation in Colombia a "national emergency" under the National Emergencies Act. Every year since, President Clinton has extended the act for another year. In October the President again extended the national emergency, as it was felt that the situation in Colombia continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the U.S. (NACLA). White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey testified in front of a U.S. congressional subcommittee saying: "In Colombia, the melding of guerilla movements, or in some cases paramilitary groups, an international drug trafficking organizations has created an unprecedented threat to the rule of law, democratic institutions and the very fabric of society" (CNN). McCaffrey has called for as much as $1 billion in emergency funds for Colombia and other countries (CNN). The Clinton Administration claims to practice the policy of ensuring that assistance funds are not provided to government forces accused of committing human rights violations. This policy is found in Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act. The President has officially stated that no assistance would be provided to "any unit of any foreign country's security forces if that unit is credibly alleged to have committed gross violations of human rights unless the government of such country is taking effective measures to bring the responsible member of that unit to justice" (Weekly Comp. Presidential Doc. ). Although the U.S. claims that it will not support human rights violators, evidence suggest that U.S. aid is actually contributing to warfare and human rights violations in Colombia. The militarization of the drug war has led to the displacement, murder and suffering of thousands of Colombians. The policy of the Clinton Administration in Colombia has been subject to many criticisms. The main concern critics have is the relationship be

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2862
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)