Cocaine Complicates Peace Talks in Colombia

As peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia progress, the subject of conversation will inevitably turn to cocaine. The militants' deep involvement in the production and smuggling of the drug will undoubtedly complicate the government's ability to give leaders of the group, known as the FARC, criminal amnesty as part of any peace agreement. But even if the Colombian government and the rebels come to accord on how to handle criminal charges, the flow of cocaine out of Colombia is unlikely to decline, even in the short term. Consistently high demand abroad and domestic factors in Colombia will keep some cocaine production and trafficking networks to the United States operating unabated, though minor shifts in drug export patterns are to be expected.