Category: Colombia

U.S. Bases in Colombia Rattle the Region

U.S. Bases in Colombia Rattle the Region

By Ben Dangl Originally published on March 17, 2010 in The Progressive Magazine On the shores of the Magdalena River, in a lush green valley dotted with cattle ranches and farms, sits the Palanquero military base, an outpost equipped with Colombia’s longest runway, housing for 2,000 troops, a theater, a supermarket, and a casino. Palanquero is…

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The Andean Connection: Tracking the Drug War’s Coca Leaves and Failed Policies –

The Andean Connection: Tracking the Drug War’s Coca Leaves and Failed Policies –

By Ben Dangl Originally published on August 4, 2011 in The Indypendent Cocaine, the drug fueling the trade that’s left thousands dead in Mexico and Central America since 2007 and which 1.4 million Americans are addicted to, originates with two species of the coca plant grown in the South American Andes. Ninety percent of the…

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US Establishes Military Bases in Colombia as Honduran Crisis Continues

US Establishes Military Bases in Colombia as Honduran Crisis Continues

Written by Benjamin Dangl Thursday, 05 November 2009 In a quiet ceremony behind closed doors in the Colombian Presidential Palace, US Ambassador William Brownfield sat down with three Colombian ministers to sign a deal allowing for 1,400 US military and private contractors to operate in seven expanded military bases in the country. The date was…

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