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Seven New US Military Bases in Colombia Is Hardly a Move to the Left
In a recent edition of the Wall Street Journal, Mary Anastasia O'Grady laments an apparent shift left in the Obama administration's Latin America policy. Clearly, O'Grady hasn't been keeping up to date with current events. If she had been, she would have heard about negotiations underway between the U.S. and Colombia to establish at least seven U.S. military bases in Colombia. Last I heard, folks on the left tend to oppose increased militarization; it's tough to see seven new military bases as a move to the left.
Why is the Obama administration pushing for these bases, despite having previously criticized Colombia's human rights record?
The Administration's goals for the military facilities are "filling the gaps left by the eventual cutting of [military] aid in Plan Colombia," according to sources in Washington and Bogotá. The proposed bases, replacements for the soon-to-closed U.S. base in Manta, Ecuador, would serve to expand the U.S. military's counter-narcotic operations in the region, deepen involvement in Colombia's counterinsurgency war, and combat "other international crimes," according to Colombia's Foreign Minister.
Despite these hints at the intention of the bases, many serious questions remain. In fact, even the Colombian Congress has yet to receive detailed information from the Uribe administration, despite repeated official requests. Nonetheless, on Tuesday Uribe began a South America tour to convince his regional counterparts of the plan, despite not having briefed his own Congress.
Such secrecy is worrisome. Fellowship of Reconciliation's John Lindsay Poland, who has spent years studying U.S. military bases around the world, writes, "the locations of the bases under negotiation raise further questions. None of them are on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, where aircraft from the Manta base patrolled for drug traffic – supposedly with great success, reflecting how traffic has increased in the Pacific. Three of the bases are clustered near each other on the Caribbean coast, not far from existing U.S. military sites in Aruba and Curacao – and closer to Venezuela than to the Pacific Ocean. Why are U.S. negotiators apparently forgoing Pacific sites, if counternarcotics is still part of the U.S. military mission? What missions 'beyond Colombia's borders' are U.S. planners contemplating?"
Even if we had answers to these questions, however, there exist plenty more reasons to be wary of the bases.
In cooperating with the Colombian army, the U.S. would be demonstrating support for an institution with an atrocious human rights record. More than 1,000 civilians have been murdered by the Colombian army in recent years, in a criminal attempt to portray them as guerrillas in order to raise the number of guerrillas killed in combat. Proposing these seven bases unmasks Obama's previous statements calling for the improvement of Colombian's human rights record as merely lip service.
Colombian forces aren't the only ones to worry about: U.S. military forces will be not be bound by Colombian law and will potentially get away with all kinds crimes. US negotiators have made it known that "even if they won't interfere in the exercise of command by Colombian officers on the bases, they will ensure the autonomy of U.S. military forces when operations go beyond Colombia's borders." And there is precedent that validates these concerns. In 2007 two U.S. soldiers carrying out a Plan Colombia mission in the small town of Melgar raped a 12-year-old girl, and have yet to be punished. When confronted by the girl's mother, the soldiers were quoted as saying, "Yeah, we raped her, so what? We are in Colombia, the law doesn't affect us." An all too accurate depiction of the US military's mentality in Colombia.
These bases would lack oversight in the financial arena as well. While Plan Colombia funding has been open for Congressional debate, funding for US military activities has not. Congress would therefore exercise little to no control over the funding – and therefore the actions – of the bases in Colombia.
The many unanswered questions and ominous possibilities that come with seven new US bases have raised alarms among Colombia's neighbors, fueling serious regional tensions. Venezuela has frozen diplomatic relations, and Ecuador has threatened "increased military tensions" over their concerns about the increased U.S. presence in the region. Brazil's President Lula said last week he was "not happy" at even one base being handed over for U.S. operations.
Many Colombians are opposed as well, backed up by the fact that such an agreement would bypass Article 173 of the Colombian Constitution, which prohibits the presence of foreign troops except in transit, and then only after legislative approval. Multiple protests have been held in downtown Bogota, and a national day of action is being planned for August 7 – the national holiday celebrating the Colombian armed forces – as opposition to these military bases grows.
The bases agreement has not yet been signed; there is still time to convince Colombian and U.S. leaders to scrap the idea. The Fellowship of Reconciliation has compiled a bilingual (English and Spanish) resource page for those opposing the bases: www.forcolombia.org/bases, and asks that you call the White House Comment Line (202-456-1111) today to say NO to military bases in Colombia.
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39 Comments so far
Show AllIf you believe the bases in Columbia are there because of the illegal drugs coming into the U.S., then I have a bridge in Alaska I would like to sell you. The so called war on drugs in which we spend enough $ to fund a lot of the healthcare that is so desperately needed in this country, is really a war on the wrong people getting Billions of $ to fund their political agenda and overthrow our puppet regimes in South and Central America. We support our thugs so that their thugs cannot overthrow our thugs---or another way to put it; it is a war on drugs alright, but not to eradicate drugs, that is a red herring.
Of course the drug war is a cover. We have been wanting to oust Chavez, Morales, and others for a long time. It is all part of the neo-liberal empire expansion ideology. Globally, we have 737 military bases. Why not add a few more, and while we are at it, build an even larger fortress, er embassy for all of South America to see?
I'd say the drug war is half the answer and wanting to oust Chavez the other half. During the Dubya years, Stop The Drug War had a riddle.
How do you spell Vietnam in Spanish? C-O-L-O-M-B-I-A.
Protect, that figures. I'm against this War on drugs" that every president from Nixon on has poured money and resources into. If this is the case, why bother?
I agree with you about oil next door (Venezuela and Ecuador).
We need to quit meddling in other countries' assairs in the name of self determination.
No money for your bridge from me. The only place to stop drugs is on our borders, till we control those we are watering the wind.
Waste of money and men. Morales and Chavez will collapse under their own weight as every one has before thats tried their methods. If they should be sucessful, then its a blessing their citizens. But its their citizens that will pay the price one way or the other. It should be their choice.
Stay out of other countries business.
Stay out of other countries' business. Also, end the stupid war on drugs and treat drug abuse the way that we treat alcohol abuse.
"Stay out of other countries business."
My good friend Henry, that would definitely be a good start.
Hope you are doing well down in the lone star state.
The Obama Administration's goals for the military facilities are to frighten Venezuela and Bolivia and prepare for possible invasion (or at least subversion) of any other Latin American nations choosing a leftist government.
In the name of democracy and freedom......A complete subversion of language and the truth.
Like Vietnam in the 1960s, this is a gross misuse of the term self-determination. We can't afford to play world cop any more. We have our own country to get in order. Let's concentrate on that first.
Absolutely!
The world must indeed start to take care of their own business and we must take care of ours. We have huge problems that are going unaddressed here at home.
We have too many bases now, we certainly don't need more.
to even say the USA is a "world cop" is wrong.
it is nothing like that - it is a world BULLY. a nation that goes into regions and elbows its way around and then behaves like a truant child if it can't get its way and then accuses others of "needing a world cop" and then
says "we can't be a world cop" AS IF it wasn't the one that began the meddling to begin with that caused chaos everywhere around the globe.
"World Cop" is a term that I heard back in the 1950s. You're right, the term "Bully" is the correct one. Our official line is that we want to stop other countries from committing acts of agression when we do most of these acts. I of course condemn our interventions. But we must get our own country in order. We also need to stop out "Do as we say, not as we do" attitude.
of course that's what it is , opening a wider front for more wars and intimidation of countries that don't bow to US dictates.
The number of countries that don't bow to US dictates keeps growing. The world is tired of US meddling and won't take it any more. That's why more people fear the US more than Cuba, North Korea or Iran. I don't think much of Castro, Kim or Ahmadinejad, but people trust them before they trust the US.
I was waiting for this article for about a week now. Ever since I read that Chavez felt threatened by the bases, I knew the progressive news wire would declare war on them.
Funny how Common Dreams had no articles about Chavez restricting Freedom of the Press in Venezuela...
even IF Chavez restricted freedom of the press - in order to protect his rule - let us say he IS a dictator - and in order to SUPPRESS "freedom of the press" from among the RIGHTWING cabal that has for generations RESTRICTED freedom of the press representing the interests of the common people over which they have ruled at the behest of the united states
exactly how much more restricting is THAT compared to the Mainstream press of the United States that "restricts freedom of the press" VOLUNTARILY to become a megaphone for the United STates Government, pentagon, corporations , etc?.
on the other hand -- china restricts freedom of a press , in relative terms to other nations - and YET the USA makes token complaints KNOWING that China is its BANKER
but NOT venezuela.
food for thought.
Funny you don't mention Chavez' letting the stations stay open for years after their involvement in a nearly successful coup.
It would be an interesting picture - MSNBC, let's say, kidnaps the President, disbands Congress, - and who exactly would consider that within 1st Amendment rights?
"the soldiers were quoted as saying, "Yeah, we raped her, so what? We are in Colombia, the law doesn't affect us."
Not surprising that the right has no problem with the rape of women.
So military bases=rape huh?
Typically, yes.
Check with some Okinawans about that.
For some reason I highly doubt that the possibility of sex crimes is the reason why the expanding U.S. presence in Colombia is what Chavez is so worried about...
Who mentioned Chavez?
Venezualanalysis at least a week earlier. He was denouncing the bases. That was the point of my original post; noting that a week following Chavez's grievance over the bases the progressive newswire is challenging them.
They SHOULD be challenging them.
Gringos stay home!
Good for the progressive news wire. There are a goodly # of other reasons to abhor the action - the welfare of Columbians as well as Venezuelans, and the welfare of Americans as well.
How irresponsible to be tossing that money around!
How irresponsible to prepare to toss those bombs around again!
Keeping U.S. Base in Honduras -- What coup is all about
For the identical thing happened to Honduras in 1957 when President Ramón Morales led his country into the Central American Common Market (CACM) and initiated programs for land reform and education for all.
For six years of such liberty was all that capitalists could endure, and then came the coup of 1963 and end of CACM in 1970. Then came the coups of 1975 and 1978. And all a smoke screen, as military gets all the attention while capitalists laugh all the way to the bank.
All in harmony with Empire USA, for in 1981 Honduras became a home for thousands of guerrillas fighting the Nicaraguan government, and the United States established bases and began holding regular military exercises in an effort to put additional pressure on Nicaragua’s Sandinista government.
Empire USA has only one military base left in Central America, the one in Honduras. And as deadly force is the lubricant that gets things done in capitalism, if the military might of the U.S. were not present, greatly less fearful would the people be to organize and resist. A main reason why President Zelaya was planning to convert that U.S. Air Force base into a public airport. Another being it has the only runways long enough for jumbo jets.
Multinational capitalism works only so long as people are kept in submission to capitalist governments, and this must be done at the national level. And this is why the rich capitalists of Honduras decide when there shall be a coup, Obama and Clinton act like they did the coup, and all of corporate owned media keeps everyone focused on Washington.
"Globally, we have 737 military bases. Why not add a few more,..."
Yes Graccus add a few more ; Who would notice?
"Why are U.S. negotiators apparently forgoing Pacific sites, if counternarcotics is still part of the U.S. military mission?"
Perhaps because there's no plan to stop the drugs from entering the US or any other country. But just think how much the bankster money-launderers can make from a deal like this. No oversight.....no questions asked!
The entire reason for these bases is to protect the drug trade run by the USA! The people on these bases are there to get the competition killed! If you've read much over the years you will know that the "GOLDEN TRIANGLE" was in trouble until the US CIA went in and got it running smoothly, the best crops ever! In afghanistan they are having great harvests of high grade opium thanks to the supply of fertilizer and modern equipment supplied by the USA, great folks those YANKS, so damned rich, I wonder how they do it! Of course they want bases in other countries that is how they maintain market share and keep out the competition which of course maintains the high value from good dope, don't you get it??
I doubt that's the entire reason: they're angling at Venezuela.
blues flat you got that right in the tradition of reagan
bush 1 and 2. gotta flood those minority neighborhoods
with drugs and keep the oppression up. did we mention
maybe ollie north needs a job and maybe obama could
use ollie's uh unique talents in these matters.obama's
just one more sorry corp.tool swallower in a long sucsession
of the above. this is the same version of spending your way out of a recession -give it to defense contractors. maybe
he could give erik prince a job down there he needs some money for his upcoming criminal defense or maybe not. also with
princes private airline he could also bring the drugs in.
all's cool with the right connections.its only a crime if your not on the official list.if your on the list you go to washington
if not you go to jail!
I am an advocate of selling off US military bases in other countries to help decrease the national debt. It is disgusting to know that America is in a deep recession, yet we are planning on using US taxpayer money to build even more bases in another country.
I hope we have moved into a post neo con era and can put aside any ambitions to become the American Empire world wide. The most basic and compelling reason to give up such ambitions is that we cannot afford such spending.
Hopefully, pressure can be brought to bear on legislators to shut down this taxpayer funded project.
Little surprise here:
- Clinton lobbyists implicated in Honduras coup -
- 7 new bases in Columbia -
0 & Co are moving to get back part of what the Bushies lost in the Americas by hiring thugs away from South & Central America and jacking the oil prices up to fete their cronies.
Currently, the USA government gives over 50 billion dollars a year to Latin America. If Latin America wants the USA out of their business, then they should stop asking for financial support from the USA government. It is a good idea for everyone to become independent.