Can The Colombian Drug War Stop? Anti - Drug War And The US Factor In The Internal Armed Conflict In

The armed conflict in Colombia is the longest-lasting conflict in the Western hemisphere. The situation worsened in the late 1970s, as the U.S. launched the War on drugs, and it took a further turn for the worse in 1990s, and the conflict is still on-going. After thirty years of war, despite the foreign supply of billions of dollars in military aid (training, weapons, chemicals and deploy of foreign troops), Colombia is still the largest producer of cocaine in the world. Due mainly to the overlap between the two different conflicts, the narratives of the War on Drugs are adapted accordingly in every country and by every political organization. Original data from the governments of the U.S. and Colombia have been analysed in order to understand these narratives.The concept of "national security" has been frequently used by the U.S. as a core value of the War on Drugs. During many years, the U.S. has justified their approach towards Colombia conflict by highlighting that the illegal drug market and the Colombian armed conflict is putting at stake the U.S.s national security. Nonetheless, there is no consensus about this interpretation of the War on Drugs. Some scholars have argued that the real intentions of the U.S are different.In October 2010, the Colombian government and the FARC once again have launched peace talks with a hope of ending he conflict that has lasted for over 50 years. One of the points in the negotiation focuses on solving the problem of illegal drug trade in Colombia. Both the FARC and the Colombian government seem willing to work together to achieve this goal, if the outcome of the negotiations is successful.The Colombian case is one of the most severe cases in the history of illegal drug trade and a peculiar example of how illegal drug market can impact the relations between an underdeveloped country and a big power like the U.S. How has a South American country in the Andean region become a terrifying example of drug trafficking and one of the principal countries in the "War on Drugs"? What has been the role played by the U.S. in the War on Drugs in Colombia? Why after more than 30 years of "War on Drugs", Colombia is still the largest producer of cocaine in the world? Will this war end someday?Illegal drug trade has always been a powerful source of human conflicts. Cultivation, production, manufacturing, distribution, transportation, consumption, law enforcement, prohibition, war etc. (and most lately-legalization) of drugs are a few distinct facets of a complex global phenomenon that presently involves violence, triggers criminalization of politics, stimulates corruption of public servants and maximizes the boost of organized crime. In the bilateral relations of Colombia and the U.S., War on Drugs has become the most relevant and decisive factor of cooperation. In the last twenty years, almost all the military, economic and ideological ties between the two countries have been tied to the different facets of War on Drugs.