One kind of war morphs into another kind
Bolivia halts US anti-drug efforts
| The US war on drugs has been successful one way -- it has made some very vicious people very rich. That unintended consequence is one reason to end this particular war. People wanting to alter their consciousness should not be a problem for police or military. If those who do not touch drugs and alcohol want to discourage those who do, another strategy to try is to make reality more attractive. Undoubtedly, economic justice brought about by geonomics could help in that regard. Another strategy: if mood alterants are a love substitute, then, instead of arrest and punish those people, try loving them more fervently (not exactly the expertise of the police and military). Another practical reason to halt the war on drugs is to save tax dollars. Another is to reduce the conflict between government and the poor. This 2008 article is from Al Jazeera of Nov 2. |
by Al Jazeera
Bolivia's president has suspended the work of agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), accusing them of spying inside Bolivia.Speaking in the coca-producing region of Chimore in central Chapare province on Saturday, Evo Morales said the US agency had supported the opposition and encouraged political violence that left 19 people dead.
Morales said, "There were DEA agents that were doing political espionage ... financing criminal groups so that they could act against authorities, even the president."
He also directly accused DEA officials of disrupting government activities during the unrest in five of the country's nine departments in September by "funding civic leaders with the aim of sabotaging airports in eastern Bolivia ... to prevent visits from officials.”
Ambassador expelled
Relations with the United States have been tense since La Paz expelled the US ambassador in September after accusing him of encouraging divisions by offering support to opposition figures.
September's crisis developed after the Bolivian president announced plans to hold a referendum on a new constitution.
The United States, which last month added Bolivia to a list of nations that had "failed demonstrably" to meet their obligations in tackling drug trafficking, dismissed the claims against the DEA.
Cocaine producer
Bolivia is the world's third-largest cocaine producer after Colombia and Peru. Washington says the amount of land being used to cultivate coca in Bolivia has increased significantly. But the United Nations estimates it rose only five per cent last year.
The coca plant, from which cocaine is derived, has many uses in traditional Andean culture.
Morales was the leader of the Bolivian coca-growers union before becoming the country's first indigenous president.
Bolivian police, working with DEA agents, have dramatically increased their cocaine seizures under Morales.
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Also see: Nationalizing a company is risky -- is it fair?
Chomsky: Poorer Countries Find Ways to Escape US Dominance
While the US Interior Dept loses royalties, Bolivia raises its rate |
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