United States secretary of defense Robert Gates and Colombia minister of defense Juan Manuel Santos write in The New York Times today:
The dramatic rescue of 15 hostages this month by Colombia’s special forces underscored how far Colombia has progressed — with the strong support of the United States — from a nation under siege by narcoterrorists and paramilitary vigilantes to one poised to become a linchpin of security and prosperity in South America.
…
[T]o achieve lasting peace and stability, Colombia must have more foreign investment and free trade. Congress’s approval of the trade promotion agreement would establish a commitment to open markets that would increase growth and investment. Moreover, it would allow American products to enter Colombia duty-free.Colombia’s hard-won freedom from violence can be sustained only through economic prosperity. Together, as partners, we must see Colombia’s transformation to completion. In winning the war, we must also consolidate the peace.
The same economic formula that has been successful for the US, the war ravaged countries in Europe and Asia, and now in Iraq, is being denied to Columbia by liberals in Congress for the sake of unions and the opportunity to bash Bush's Administration, again. The formula is simple, where freedom and security are present, economic seeds of growth prosper. Where economic despair is lifted from people through such success, the whole social-economic model begins to improve.
Amazingly, or not, our politicians stand in opposition to the opportunities that are ahead for the people of Columbia so that they can receive the shekels of the union organizations.