Plan Colombia has clearly failed at one of its core goals—reducing the growth and distribution of illicit drugs in Colombia. Roughly 90% of cocaine sold in the United States still comes from Colombia.
It has failed because the U.S. has not provided coca farmers with a viable alternative to growing coca. This is illustrated by the Miami Heralds’s article stating that one man now “sells about 50 pounds of tilapia and mojarra at his storefront. At the end of the month, he has about 800,000 pesos in profits ($250 dollars) — about a tenth of what he made in the drug trade.” In addition, the article states “Alternative development projects pushed into the vacuum often weren’t feasible. Locals complained about receiving cattle and chicken breeds that couldn’t survive in the local conditions. Grand plans to plant vanilla, cardamom and other exotic export crops failed.” Fortunately, plans are in place to create a new deal called Peace Colombia, which has over $450 million in its budget. It is unclear how much would be allocated for alternative development programs. Plan Colombia’s budget for those programs was $75 million, and that number must go up significantly if the U.S. hopes to enact permanent change in Colombia. The $10 billion invested through Plan Colombia so far has dramatically improved security and stability in Colombia. Without U.S. intervention, Colombia may have become a failed state. However, the U.S. must address the root cause of violence—coca—if they hope to reform and purify the Colombian economy.