A New Front in Colombia's War on Drugs?

In the run up to Colombia's presidential election, voters are gravitating towards a candidate who is offering a new way to wage war against the drug-trafficking guerrillas FARC.

May 30 will be the first round of Colombia's presidential election. The election was supposed to be a largely uneventful race, with Juan Manuel Santos, ex-Defense Minister and protégé of the current president, Alvaro Uribe expected to win.  But now Colombians speak openly about the possibility of a run-off. Moderate candidate, Antanas Mockus, former mayor of Bogata managed to fundamentally change the dynamics of the race thanks to his proposal to fight the drug trafficking guerrillas FARC with a radical new policy.

Initially, Andrés Pastrana, President of Colombia from 1998-2002, used negotiations to try and work with the FARC.  Unfortunately, the negotiation strategy not only gave more power to the armed group it also ceded them territory where Colombia's military is not allowed. Colombians have preferred the current success under the more aggressive Alvaro Uribe. Under Uribe, FARC has seen their power reduced and their main leaders killed or imprisoned. His successful policy won him reelection in 2006.

All candidates want to continue with President’s Uribe security plan but Mockus stands out.  Mockus' campaign has emphasized his desire to address the roots of the problem and not merely focus on combating FARC.  He hopes to draw attention to and address the larger issue of drug trafficking.  As Mockus points out, there are many Colombians that are either supporters or accomplices of drug trafficking and until this larger issue is resolved, FARC will continue to survive and terrify the nation.

The current aggressive policy towards FARC may be working, but it is a costly policy with no fixed end date. On several occasions its legality has been stretched to the limits raising questions about its suitability as a long term strategy.  After 8 years of Uribe’s war against FARC, Colombians have started to think about which candidate can take the next step. Colombians support for Mockus on May 30 would show that voters do want a change in policy and are prepared to tackle the problems brought on by the drug trade itself.