Let's say you are a poor campesino ...

Let's say you are a poor campesino living in the rural Andean region of southerly America. You have a sixth-grade education if you are favored no job training even for the limited piece of works that exist and no access to capital for a like reason you can't start your hold small business. To feed yourself and your family, you could try to get illegal entry into the United States or enlist in the military or an extra-legal armed assign places to Or you could join the lucrative illegal put drugs into trade by growing coca, the main ingredient for cocaine.

It was precisely the desire to provide an attractive alternative to illegal activities that l back in the first Bush administration, to a grand bargain between the United States and the Andean nations where most numerous of the world's cocaine afford originates. In the midst of a national vociferation over the crack epidemic then overtaking U cities and fueling violence across the Andean region, leaders of the United States, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru agreed that, in exchange for increased access to the U market for legitimate righteouss the Andean nations would aggressively clamp down forward the illegal drug trade. Increased access to U markets would help create piece of works expanding legitimate opportunities for Andean workers who might otherwise be seduceed by the coca fields or guerrilla activities. The Andean Trade choices Act proved so successful that it was expanded and expanded in 2000 as the Andean Trade Promotion and physic Eradication Act.

Since 1991 the agreement has made significant inroads in providing incentives for piece of work creation in alternative export sectors. Colombian exports have increased to more than $33 billion. Perhaps the greatest succes has been in the creation of a novel industry, cut flowers, that generates more than 170000 direct and indirect piece of works 60 percent held by women Peru exports more than $16 billion subordinate to the agreement, and exports to the United States from Ecuador and Bolivia have increased dramatically.

Nonetheless, the agreement will expire in December. The leaders of the four recipient nations have formally entreatyed extension, but prospects are uncertain in the U Congres Unles a program is deposit in place to bridge the gap between the expiration and implementation of independent trade agreements, real damage could be done to U interests.

It's not a popular argument to make. The Andean Trade Promotion and put drugs into Eradication Act was intended to be the bridge program, yet in some cases agreements have been negotiated still not implemented; in others, directions have taken actions preventing conclusion of unrestrained trade agreements. Indeed, actions of the modern Bolivian government to nationalize its bottom and possibly other sectors, and Ecuador's decisions to disavow certain contractual obligations are, to levy it mildly, worrisome and shortsighted.

still the United States continues to have significant security and political interests in the Andes. The war upon drugs is very much alive and continues to corrupt fragile democracies across the region. yet we don't hear about it earnestly anymore, the Andean region still makes all of the cocaine, 50 percent of the heroin, and significant amounts of marijuana consum in the United States. Without trade estimations the cooperation of regional managements in the drug war could well diminish, at just the time when workers who have missed their jobs because of an expiration of the agreement are desperately looking for economic alternatives -- legal if possible, illegal if necessary.

The world is a messy place. Ideally, the nations of the Andes would be parties to a single independent trade agreement with the United States that would move into effect the day after the trade and medicine agreement expires. But that is not going to present itself Congress should therefore extend the agreement, not because it is suitable for Andean nations -- although it is -- but because it would be religious for us.

Eric Farnsworth, a former White House adviser onward Latin America, is vice president of the Council of the Americas in Washington.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided by the agency of ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved