You think shutting Colombia out, impoverishing it, and making the only business worth being in cocaine is the way to fix things? I think you are mistaken. Shutting Colombia out is the worst mistake we can make.
The strategic picture is important, you would get some of that if you would click on the story, but here is some of it:
Colombia shares an eastern border with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. That’s who they’re stuck with as a next-door neighbor. If you think Mexico’s a bad neighbor, try Venezuela. Chavez’s leading an antiamerican alliance and sucking an average of two countries a year into its orbit. The countries he sucks in are economically very weak, and none have free trade.
Chavez regularly taunts Colombia, calling it a fool for being pro-American instead of antiamerican. He yells that Chavez is colombia’s only true friend and communism and protectionism (just like what you are preaching, with this sort of pastoral view of the past) are the only ways for colombia to prosper. If you are reading anything in the news, you know chavez with his protectionism is running venezuela straight into the ground.
But he has the upper hand when he tells colombia that it has more to gain from being america’s enemy than its friend and being america;s friend will only result in colombia getting screwed over.
With de-facto chavistas like yourself around, yelling about free trade, who is to argue with chavez? Chavez is right, to be america’s friend is to be screwed over.
I hope I don’t hear you whining about america having no friends, though.
Your views are exactly those of antiamerican hugo chavez, your arguments are identical.
And you are certifiable.