The Nation: A Voters' Guide to Hillary Clinton's Policies in Latin America

[PufPuf23]

5. Too bad one cannot copy and past from that article to DU.

Last edited Sat Jun 4, 2016, 02:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Regards Colombia and Plan Colombia and the Colombia Free Trade Agreement in the article:

Enacted under Bill Clinton, Plan Colombia provided billions of dollars that militarized a right wing government, facilitated a massive land grab, displaced an average of 300,000 people per year totaling 2.4 million, and allowed the torture, murder, displacement of 1000s of trade unionists, peasants, Afro-Colombians, and environmental activists.

Hillary Clinton campaigned against the Colombian Free Trade agreement in 2008 then changed policy once in office as SOS. While she campaigned against Colombia Free Trade bill, Bill Clinton was paid $800,000 for four speeches in Latin America in support of the Free Trade agreement.

Likewise Hillary Clinton's campaign advisor Mark Penn, while Clinton campaigned against the FTA was telling Colombian officials not to worry because after elected Clinton would change her position.

"When asked about her position Clinton laughed and laughed. "Oh my," she said to a reporter, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin". After the FTA, 100s of the folks mentioned above were murdered, as of 2015, 105 trade unionists alone.

Not in article:

While Clinton was SOS, the USA contracted for military basing rights in Colombia and there are now 7 military bases on Colombian soil.

The sectors benefiting most from the FTA are fossil fuels, specifically oil and coal. Low cost coal exported from Drummond Coal is flooding the southern and northeastern coal markets putting thousands of union miners and support out of work. Importantly, rather than even a transition phase of natural gas, the cheap coal is extending the life of coal burning power plants. Drummond has been prosecuted for funding paramilitary in Colombia.