War in Colombia: Made in U.S.A

WAR IN COLOMBIA: MADE IN U.S.A.

EDITED AND COMPILED BY REBECA TOLEDO, TERESA GUTIERREZ, SARA FLOUNDERS AND ANDY MCINERNEY

SUB GOttingen 7 217 175 503

2004 A 417

INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER NEW YORK TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface 9

Acknowledgements 11

Author Biographies 13

Chronology of Colombia 17

I. U.S. INTERVENTION IN COLOMBIA

The Future of Latin America Ramsey Clark 23

Demonizing Resistance Teresa Gutierrez 49

The Origin and Evolution of Plan Colombia Andy McInerney 59

Right-Wing Terror and Drug Lords Garry M. Leech 67

Soldiers for the Banks Carl Glenn 71

The Blurring of the Lines StanGoff 77

Defoliation is Depopulation Sara Flounders 83

The New Terrors of the Phony "War on Drugs" Imani Henry 91

Human Rights Watch Cover Up Heather Cottin 99 II. VOICES FROM COLOMBIA

Gaitdn and the U.S. Head to Head Gloria Gaitan 109

The Origins of the FARC-EP Manuel Marulanda Velez 115

A Struggle for Political and Economic Democracy Javier Correa Suarez 123

The National Liberation Army Speaks Antonio Garcia 131

State Terror in Colombia Luis Guillermo Perez Casas 137

Peace with Social Justice Raul Reyes 141

Colombia Answers Statement by 60 Colombian Organizations 145

Colombia at the Crossroads Coordinating Group of Coca and Poppy Growers 147

Two Women Commandantes Arturo Alape 151

III. U.S. INTERVENTION: THE REGIONAL PICTURE

Culture, Sovereignty and Intervention Fidel Castro Ruz 157

Venezuela: Our Strength is the People Dr. Aristobulo Isturiz - 167

Ecuador: Military and Regional Impact of Plan Colombia Lucio E. Gutierrez 173 Vieques: U.S. Eavesdropping on Latin America Ismael Guadalupe 179

The Fourth Revolutionary Wave Narciso Isa Conde 181

The Geopolitics of Plan Colombia James Petras 185

IV. THE WORLD RESPONDS TO PLAN COLOMBIA

First International Solidarity Conference Resolution 203 European Parliament Resolution on Plan Colombia 207

100 Latin Americans Oppose Plan Colombia 213

Sao Paulo Forum Meets in Havana Berta Joubert-Ceci 217

Globalize the Struggle Against Reaction Miguel Urbano 221

Workers United with Students and Campesinos Nathalie Alsop and Ram6n Acevedo 225

Trade Unions vs. Coca-Cola Rebeca Toledo 227

V. THE PEOPLE OF THE U.S. SAY NO

The Poor of Colombia are Not Getting Rich from Coca Bishop Thomas Gumbleton 235

Drugs, CIA and Plan Colombia Representative Cynthia McKinney ' 241

f NIEDERS.

I BIBl.inTHEK An Empire in Search of a War Mumia Abu-Jamal 245

Unions Under Siege in Colombia Senator Paul Wellstone 247

Solidarity with Colombian Trade Unions AFL-CIO Executive Council 249

Coca-Cola Leaves a Bad Taste in the U.S. and Colombia Dianne Mathiowetz 251

Plan Colombia and the School of the Assassins Fr. Roy Bourgeois and Linda Panetta 253

VI. APPENDIX

The Agrarian Program Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) 263

Government of National Reconciliation and Reconstruction Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) 267

The Manifesto ofSimacota National Liberation Army (ELN) 271

The Country We Want National Liberation Army (ELN) 275

School of the Americas Graduates 281

Index 293

About the International Action Center 299 PREFACE

There is a risk inherent in producing a book like this. By the time it gets wide- ly distributed, it could become obsolete, as events in Colombia unfold rapidly. But War in Colombia: Made in U.S.A. will never be outdated. And that is because this book provides the necessary analysis to understand the complex relations between Colombia and the United States, now and for years to come. Furthermore, War in Colombia: Made in U.S.A. discusses Colombia's importance within the context of developments in the entire region. Latin America and the Caribbean are the battlegrounds for tumultuous developments that will soon have profound importance. Mass movements throughout the continent have risen against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Independence-minded leaders such as those in Venezuela and Brazil have been popularly elected, challenging the status quo set by Wall Street. These are signs that this continent will be the scene of great advances for humanity, despite the best efforts of Washington. What is Colombia's role in all of this? Why is Colombia the number one recipient of U.S. aid in Latin America? What does it indicate that while the trend today in Latin America is to fight for sovereignty, Colombia has the distinct dis- honor of presiding over the United Nations Security Council at the very moment the U.S. government is about to launch a horrific war against the people of Iraq? The answers to these questions will be found within these pages. They will help orient readers, now and long after the Colombian people win the peace for which they so desperately yearn. Colombia has the highest murder rate in the world. It has one of the highest rates of displaced people. Four out of every five trade unionists murdered in the world today are in Colombia. Latin America's oldest guerrilla organization is in Colombia. So when the Clinton administration proposed a $2 billion aid package for Colombia, it signaled that Colombia was a top priority in U.S.-Latin American relations. Hence it is a top priority for the anti-war movement. For too many decades, U.S. imperialism has intervened throughout Latin America. From blockading revolutionary Cuba to ousting Guatemalan President Jacobo Arbenz, to quelling the revolutionary movements in Central America, it has spread its bloody tentacles far and wide. From the robbery of one-half of Mexico to splitting Colombia to build the Panama Canal, the U.S. government has done whatever it takes to rob the