Link to Article: “Colombia launches ‘elite force’ to target rebels, drug gangs“
Colombian leader, President Ivan Duque, recently launched a military unit around the country, targeting coca crops, cocaine production sites, and armed groups. These troops, named CONAT, are being deployed around the Columbia’s shared border with Venezuela, as well as the regions of Cauca and Putamayo. Duque spoke about the new mission, stating that its goals were to “break down the structures of drug trafficking and transnational threats linked to illegal mining, the trafficking of wildlife and people, and any transnational form of terrorism.”
Columbia has received increasing pressure from countries, such as the United States, to control their coca crop production. The U.S is a major destination for Colombia’s cocaine, spreading drug problems. Columbia, the world’s largest producer of cocaine, has around 380,000 acres of cocoa crops, producing an average of 1,137 tons of cocaine a year. Duque placed blame on Venezuela, stating that many of its targets were being “Protected in Venezuela.” Venezuelan president, although unrecognized by Columbia, responded with force.
Columbia’s large drug trafficking issue can be linked back to the country’s socioeconomic situation. When people find themselves in hard financial situations, drug production becomes an obvious source of money. Unfortunately, Colombia’s cocaine prodution issue have, and will continue to impact the nations environment, education, health, and economy. Issues like this, when not taken care of, often escalate and become more difficult to manage. It also causes diplomatic struggles with foreign nations.
As mentioned in the article, Columbia, along with many other countries, refuse to acknowledge Venezuela’s elected president, Nicolas Maduro. Instead, these countries chose to acknowledge the country’s opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the country’s official representative. This has led to many issues regarding Venezuela’s relations with other nations, such as cutting ties with Colombia.
This issue can be viewed on multiple levels of international relations. Beginning with the state level, Columbia has a massive cocaine production issue, rooting back to economic situations in the nation. Expanding to the regional level, Colombia’s efforts to control the drug trafficking problem has been halted by disputes with Venezuela. On the international level, nations such as the United States have urged Colombia to control its cocaine problem, as it has spread the drugs to other countries, creating more than just a domestic issue.