Skip to main content

More US military in Colombia!

Today expires the ten-years agreement that the governments of US and Ecuador signed in 1999, in which the Southamerican nation allowed the Northamerican one to build up and have a military base in the city of Manta to fight narcotrafic. The agreement was not extend because the current Ecuatorian government called for a plebiscite where most of the people voted for not to extend the agreement. Some reports about violation of human rigths in the area may have had an influence on the people's desition.

Since then the US began to look for a new place where to move the base over in order to continue the figth against narcotrafic, and the most suitable place was Colombia because its geographical position and because it is a great ally of the US. Besides, The Plan Colombia has not expire. And in fact, it happened: the governments of Colombia and the US has just signed a pre- agreement in which the American military will move from Manta to three Colombia Air Force bases in Colombia. When the agreement will be signed Colombia will host 800 military people and 600 contractors, the US military will redesign the bases for the narcotrafic operations which could be extended to anti-terrorism operations. The agreement is for ten years and it stipulates the US will not build a base but will use the Colombian ones, the US government will not condutc military operations against other countries, and when it expires Colombia will keep the redesignes made by Americans.

The signature of this pre-agrement has divide the Colombian opinion: some sectors of the nation agree and say that it is fruitful for the country in order to fight narcotrafic and terrorism, and it backs Colombia in front of its neighbors. In the other hand, some sectors say that it is a violation for the Colombian sovereignty and a threat for the region since it benefits the American imperialist policy hidden in an aparent fight against narcotrafic. In my opinion, I agree since the US is our first commercial partner, most of the Colombians abroad live there and we have been together in politics and military for a lonf time, which has been profitable for Colombia as a nation in development way. Besides, Americans and English language have been involved in my life which has been profitable for me too. I try to get the best from Americans and their culture by trying to avoid the bad things, specially the vices from a minority (every culture has these vicious minorities). The only thing I ask those Americans living in Colombia is not to misbehave, there are some cases in Colombia and other countries where Americans live about misbehaving and other things such as procreating kids and then abandoning them as it happenend to the called "Children of the Plan Colombia".

I think this is one more chapter of the story of the US regarding its history of first economical and military world power and everything that this means for its allies and enemies. As a Colombian or American or another nationality, what do you think?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The John F. Kennedy's district in Bogota, Colombia.

Bogota, Colombia's capital city, is divided by 20 districts (Localidades, in Sapnish). One of them was named Kennedy, after the former president of the United States who founded the district himself. This district is the most populated, 1,5 million inhabitants, and one of the largest in Bogota. John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie visted Bogota in Dicember 1961 within the framework of the Alliance for Progress, in which Kennedy founded the neighborhood for the poorest people in the city. The neighborhood was named then Ciudad Techo (Techo City) and 12.000 houses began to be build. In 1964 after Kennedy's assessination the residents of the neighborhood changed its name to Ciudad Kennedy (Kennedy City) and the Council of Bogota approved the name change in 1966.  President Kennedy inaugurates the housing project Ciudad Techo (John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum) Last November 22nd, 50th anniversary Kennedy's assassination, the residents of the d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Americans are all the inhabitants of the continent

This is the translation of an article that I wrote in Octuber, 2010. It is about my point of view on the habit of Spanish speakers to call people and things from the United States 'americanos' (American), when a correct name exists: estadounidenses (something like Unitedstaters). Last week I attended the presentation of the Unitedstater Studies Institute (Instituto de Estudios Estadounidenses) in Bogota, Colombia, attracted by the posibility of getting to know something else about the United States, county which I like since my childhood and in which I have had the chance of living briefly somewhen. What attracted my attention the most was the name of the institute itself. Its name is  Unitedstater Studies Institute and not American like some others which exist in some Spanish-speaking countries. And I believe that  Unitedstater is the correct name for the people born and nationalized in the United States. Not American because that name belong to all the inhabitants o...
Post a Comment
Read more

The kidnapped general.

General Mendieta is a Colombia National Police commissioned officer who was recently rescued from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia FARC after eleven years of kidnapping. He was took prisoner in 1998 in the city of Mitu, in the Colombian Amazon, when he was practicing as the commander of city police bureau, in the rank of litenuant colonel. During his captivity he was promoted by the Colombian Government to the the ranks of colonel, Brigade General and Major General. Mendieta was rescued with three more Armed Forces of Colombia members by Colombia Army through 'The Chameleon Operation'. Until that day General Mendieta was the police and military force kidnapped the with the highest rank in the world. Two facts involves me with this. The first one is that I produced a journalism report on it as a prelude of General Mendieta's rescue. It was by the way of his last promotion which was particular due to the general's obvious absence. Then, I attended the ceremony ...
Post a Comment
Read more