US designates Colombia as failing to cooperate in the drug war for first time in nearly 30 years– www.cbsnews.com
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Excerpt:
The Trump administration on Monday added Colombia to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the drug war for the first time in almost 30 years, a stinging rebuke to a traditional U.S. ally that reflects a recent surge in cocaine production and fraying ties between the White House and the country’s leftist president.
Even as it determined that Colombia had failed to comply with its international counternarcotics obligations, the Trump administration issued a waiver of sanctions that would have triggered major aid cuts, citing vital U.S. national interests.
Nonetheless, it is a major step against one of the United States’ staunchest allies in Latin America, and it could further hamper efforts to restore security in the countryside, according to Adam Isacson, a security researcher at the Washington Office on Latin America.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he regretted the decision, which overlooked decades of bloodshed by Colombian security forces and civilians all in the name of a U.S.-led drug war.