The new battlefield in Latin America

A child soldier of the FARC. The sign  behind her reads, "Don’t mistreat children. They are the future."

The theater of operations for the average combat soldier has normally been limited to the battlefield, where troops can see the enemy that they are fighting. But if current legislative provisions remain, soldiers may need a defense lawyer as much as an M16 when deploying. America’s support of Colombia and Peru in their fight against narco-terrorist groups provides striking examples, where phantom philanthropies and stealth NGOs have felled more troops than a Daisy Cutter by the use of "judicial warfare."

Judicial warfare is the newest form of asymmetric warfare waged by proxy foundations and terrorist-supporting front groups in Latin America, and it has the support of powerful Democrats in the U.S. congress. Just over a year ago in May 2007, Senator Christopher Dodd, in his capacity as a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps and Narcotics Affairs, sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice with a laundry list of complaints about paramilitary and narco-trafficker infiltration of the Colombian government.

After the recent successes in Colombia’s fight against the narco-terrorist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, and the Colombian Army’s impeccable rescue of the guerrilla’s most prized kidnap victims, the Dodd letter looks foolish in its omission of terrorist atrocities. Moreover, the letter’s stated concern about the killing of trade unionists now seems to have been a set up for Speaker of the House Pelosi to shut down a vote on the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia.

An article in the New York Times illustrated that the mortality risk of trade unionists was far less than the average Colombian citizen. It also bears noting that the recently killed spokesman for the FARC, Raul Reyes, began his career at age 16 when he joined the Colombian Communist Youth (JUCO), which soon led him to become a trade unionist before moving through the ranks of the Colombian Communist Party and eventually to the Secretariat of the FARC. Since the beginning of the FARC, many Colombian trade unions have served as way stations for FARC members as they have moved between civilian positions to terrorist operatives.

The Dodd letter was signed by Senators Kennedy, Durbin, Boxer, Feingold, Brown, and more notably, Senators Patrick Leahy and Democratic Presidential candidate, Barack Obama. Senator Obama’s endorsement is particularly disconcerting. If elected president, undermining the anti-terrorist work of our staunchest ally in Latin America could become de facto U.S. policy.

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Articulo: "El Nuevo Campo de Batalla en América Latina." El escenario de operaciones del soldado común siempre ha sido el campo de batalla, donde las tropas pueden reconocer a su enemigo contra el que están luchando. Pero si las actuales provisiones legislativas persisten, estos mismos soldados quizás muy pronto necesiten contratar a abogados defensores, así como lo leen. El apoyo de los Estados Unidos a Colombia y Perú en su lucha contra el narcotráfico y el terrorismo demuestran cómo filantropías fantasmas y ONG’s de izquierda han arruinado las carreras y vidas de muchísimos militares utilizando la frase "Guerra Judicial." 

Main News:

• FARC says it was betrayed by its own men in military rescue.
• Peruvian Congress investigates irregularities in Mission Miracle.
• Brazilian Oil Workers Strike, Cutting Output by At Least 300,000 Barrels per Day.
• NEWS ALERT: Argentine Senate knocks out Kirchner’s farm export tax. Spanish group definitively decided to abandon Argentina.
• Venezuela finances USD 6.54 million per day under Petrocaribe. CITGO grants 500,000 economical bulbs to the US poor. Chávez, Correa, Ortega kick off ambitious oil works. Fedecámaras forecasts inflation over 30 percent ending this year . Venezuelan Opposition Parties March to Protest Election Ban. Venezuela’s Chavez to Visit Russia, Buy More Arms. Moscow confirms talks on Russian-Venezuelan bank.
• Nicaragua ‘s Ortega says willing to talk to FARC.
• Costa Rica invited to join Petrocaribe.
• Venezuela gives 60 houses to Guatemalans hit by heavy rains.
• Conservative Piñera Leads Rivals in Chile.

View the full version of the Americas Report (PDF) 

Nancy Menges
Editor in Chief – "Americas Report"

Nicole M. Ferrand
Editor – "Americas Report"

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