Professor Bruce Bagley on the crisis in Colombia
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President Bill Clinton spent August 31 in Cartagena, Colombia meeting with Colombian leaders, including President Andres Pastrana. The two presidents held a joint news conference defending Pastrana’s Plan Colombia and refuting charges that the program could lead U.S. troops into a war similar to Vietnam. Pastrana’s $7.5 billion initiative is aimed at fighting drug trafficking and civil unrest in the country. Dr. Bruce Michael Bagley is a Professor of International Studies at the School of International Studies at the University of Miami. He is co-editor of the Journal of Inter-American Studies and World Affairs. His principal research focuses on U.S.-Latin American relations, with emphasis on drug trafficking and security issues. Since 1991, Dr. Bagley has been a visiting professor at the Instituto Colombiano de Estudios Superiores in Cali, Colombia. Bagley was co-editor of “Drug Trafficking in the Americas” and editor of “Drug Trafficking Research in the Americas: A Bibliographic Survey.” Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Bruce Bagley, and welcome. Bruce Bagley: Hello! It’s a pleasure to be here! Chat Moderator: Why should other nations be concerned about what is happening in Colombia? Bruce Bagley: Well, there are several reasons why other nations, including the United States, should be concerned. Colombia is the fourth largest nation in Latin America. It has 40 million people. It is an important source of petroleum, and one of the principal source countries for cocaine and heroin entering the U.S. Colombia’s growing instability has implications for the United States and for the five countries that border on Colombia. They include Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and Panama. Regional instability in North and South America has implications for the United States’ security, and for the security of the countries of the region. More : edition.cnn.com |