[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17159]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



MINDING OUR OWN BUSINESS REGARDING COLOMBIA IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF 
                                AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, those of us who warned of the shortcomings of 
expanding our military presence in Colombia were ignored when funds 
were appropriated for this purpose earlier this year. We argued at that 
time that clearly no national security interests were involved; that 
the Civil War was more than 30 years old, complex with three factions 
fighting, and no assurance as to who the good guys were; that the drug 
war was a subterfuge, only an excuse, not a reason, to needlessly 
expand our involvement in Colombia; and that special interests were 
really driving our policy: Colombia Oil Reserves owned by American 
interests, American weapons manufacturers, and American corporations 
anxious to build infrastructure in Colombia.
  Already our foolish expanded pressure in Colombia has had a perverse 
effect. The stated purpose of promoting peace and stability has been 
undermined. Violence has worsened as factions are now fighting more 
fiercely than ever before for territory as they anticipate the full 
force of U.S. weapons arriving.
  The already weak peace process has been essentially abandoned. Hatred 
toward Americans by many Colombians has grown. The Presidents of 12 
South American countries rejected outright the American-backed military 
operation amendment aimed at the revolutionary groups in Colombia.
  This foolhardy effort to settle the Colombian civil war has clearly 
turned out to be a diplomatic failure. The best evidence of a seriously 
flawed policy is the departure of capital. Watching money flows gives 
us a market assessment of policy; and by all indication, our policy 
spells trouble.
  There is evidence of a recent large-scale exodus of wealthy 
Colombians to Miami. Tens of thousands of Colombians are leaving for 
the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Spain, Australia. These are the middle-
class and upper-class citizens, taking their money with them. Our 
enhanced presence in Colombia has accelerated this exodus.
  Our policy, unless quickly and thoroughly reversed, will surely force 
an escalation of the civil war and a dangerous increase in our 
involvement with both dollars and troops. All this will further 
heighten the need for drug sales to finance all factions of the civil 
war. So much for stopping the drug war.
  Our policy is doomed to fail. There is no national security interest 
involved; therefore, no goals can be set and no victory achievable. A 
foreign policy of non-intervention designed only to protect our 
sovereignty with an eagerness to trade with all nations willing to be 
friends is the traditional American foreign policy and would give us 
the guaranteed hope of peace, the greatest hope of peace and 
prosperity.
  Let us think seriously about our foreign policy, and hopefully 
someday we will pursue a policy in the best interest of America by 
minding our own business.

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