US Military Engagement in Colombia Deepens, and Questioned

The U.S. and Colombian governments signed an agreement on October 30 that gives the U.S. military access to usage of seven military bases throughout Colombia.  The deal gives the U.S. military free and open use of these bases, entrance of military personnel without visas, and complete immunity for U.S. military personnel from Colombian law. While ostensibly this access to bases is part of the war on drugs, critics of U.S. policy in the region question why the U.S. military needs these outposts in South America, fanning concerns about potential actions against Colombia’s  neighbors, such as Venezuela.

Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Michael Honda (D-CA) authored a November letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for a “reconfiguration” of U.S. policy towards Colombia. The letter specifically asks for reduction of military funding and a focus on aid that strengthens civil society, and highlights how the Colombian government and military have acted to undermine human rights workers, including trade union leaders.  USLEAP organized a U.S. trade union letter to Congress in support of the initiative.

Note: Release of USLEAP’s 2008 Impunity Report “Systematic Violence Requires Strategic Justice: Ongoing Impunity in Assassinations of Trade Unionists in Colombia,” was delayed to coincide with a high-level meeting of the World Trade Organization the week of November 30. The study documents limited progress in investigating, prosecuting and trying cases of assassinations of trade unionists, concluding that the lack of a strategic legal approach is holding back significant advances.