Columbia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Columbia - Essay Example can exacerbate civil wars.† The United States has experienced limited tactical success in fighting the drug menace, by dismantling drug cartels, pressuring the Colombian Government to attack these cartels and fumigating the coco crops. But this has not diffused the problem because drug production continues despite the crackdown measures of the U.S. Government, with drug production shifting inland into territory controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and aiding in the insurrection of this Party against the Colombian Government. How then can the proliferation in coca production and thereby increase in drug traffic be curtailed? Studies appear to suggest that it is the economic benefits that are to be gained by coca production which is the causal factor that increases production, therefore one of the ways to tackle this problem appears to be by providing better economic incentives. Another reason for the explosion in drug trafficking is the civil war in Colombia which enables the coca and poppy growers to escape the crackdown by the Government and law enforcement authorities. Lastly, the most important reason why the drug trade is flourishing has to do with the strong demand that exist in the United States. This is the major reason why drug production thrives, therefore it appears that coca eradication and aid to end the civil war in Colombia may not be as effective in eliminating the drug problem as tackling the problem of the demand that exists in the United States, through a comprehensive drug eradication policy. Therefore, the best way to control excess production of illegal crops in Colombia is for the United States to clamp down on the growing demand within its own territories. 1. It appears that it is largely economic factors that are propelling the proliferation in growth of coca in Columbia and the concomitant violence that ahs been the result. In a recent, comprehensive study conducted by Holmes et al (2006), the relation between