http://www.dominionpaper.ca/taxonomy/term/2069/0 en http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dawn/2418 <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blog-entry-image"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <div class="filefield-file"><img class="filefield-icon field-icon-image-jpeg" alt="image/jpeg icon" src="http://www.dominionpaper.ca/sites/all/modules/filefield/icons/image-x-generic.png" /><a href="http://www.dominionpaper.ca/files/weblogs-img/2458217512_a4052a714d.jpg" type="image/jpeg; length=179024">2458217512_a4052a714d.jpg</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <p>The <cite>LA Times</cite> published an <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-santos-qa9-2009jan09,0,4435927.story">excellent interview </a>with Colombia's defense minister Juan Manuel Santos today. </p> <p>The interview focuses on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_Colombia">Plan Colombia</a>, which has failed in terms of coca crop eradication, but which has, as Santos states, allowed the Colombian military to "retake control of our territory."</p> <p>Many simply call that military <em>occupation</em>. </p> <p>Santos continues to explain that he's not worried about the fact that Obama has never been to Colombia, because "Vice President-elect Joseph Biden was one of the fathers of Plan Colombia and he promoted it a lot."</p> <p>Another gem from Santos: "I have no doubt that the Colombian army is receiving more human rights training than any army on Earth."</p> <p>Now that's a scary thought.</p> <p><em>A Colombian military parade in Medellín. Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23476348@N04/2458217512/">Michael von Bergen</a>.</em></p> http://www.dominionpaper.ca/weblogs/dawn/2418#comments Plan Colombia war Latin America Colombia Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:48:48 +0000 dawn 2418 at http://www.dominionpaper.ca