Colombia: Fighting Words

The war declared by President Alvaro Uribe on leftist guerrillas has intensified the bloodshed in Colombia, threatening civilians' safety. His plan, openly supported by the US State Department, not only has proven useless in stopping violence, it has also created the politically hot environment in the country.

During last week, the Colombian Air Force said it bombed a rebel camp, killing 40 Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - FARC - fighters. Neither the national nor international media could varify this report, as the action took place in the remote jungle of Guaiana State, next to Brazil and Venezuela. The Army could not reach the area, as it is controlled by FARC.

On Monday, a car bomb exploded in a supermarket parking lot in Bogota, injuring almost 70 people and causing a millions dollars worth of damage. The government, as usual, blamed Marxist rebels for the attack. Of course, the government used the word "terrorism" to describe the facts, something that Washington loves to hear, as it opens the door for a large-scale military intervention in the area.

"Who else wages terrorism in Colombia?" asked Bogota Police Chief General Hector Daniel Castro, as he blamed the rebel army. He also offered a reward of about $18,000 for information leading to the arrests of Monday's bombers. One can imagine the smiles on Washington officials' faces and a short answer: Narcotraffic, America’s preferred pretext to justify actions in the country.

Now, "narcotraffic" joins "terrorism" as a way to support, in speech, US plans in the region. Exactly the same words used to describe the situation in other areas of the Triple Border between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, the Port of Iquique in Chile, and the social crisis in Bolivia.

Washington has proved many times in Latin America that the "power of swords" follows the "power of words". In turn, governments in South America usually welcome such an attitude, as they wish to stay in power as poverty grows.

Hernan Etchaleco PRAVDA.Ru Argentina

Photo: Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe