Forty years after the declaration of the "war on drugs" by President Nixon, the debate on the effectiveness and costs of the ban is red-hot. Several former Latin American presidents and leading intellectuals from around the world have drawn attention to the ineffectiveness and adverse consequences of prohibitionism. This book thoroughly analyzes the drug policies of one of the main protagonists in this war. The book covers many topics: the economics of drug production, the policies to reduce consumption and decrease supply during the Plan Colombia, the effects of the drug problem on Colombia's international relations, the prevention of money laundering, the connection between drug trafficking and paramilitary politics, and strategies against organized crime. Beyond the diversity in topics, there is a common thread running through all the chapters: the need to analyze objectively what works and what does not, based on empirical evidence. Presented here for the first time to an English-speaking audience, this book is a contribution to a debate that urgently needs to transcend ideology and preconceived opinions.

Written from the perspective of a former active participant in the U.S. anti-drug policy formulation and implementation efforts, Cocaine Quagmire is an in-depth analysis of why the U.S. drug war in Colombia is failing. While frequent anti-drug battles are won, dynamic socioeconomic and political factors have created a quagmire of countervailing obstacles leading to strategic foreign policy defeat in the North Andes. The Clinton Administration focused on combating narcotrafficking and yet misunderstood how a strong international demand and immense profits provide the basic incentives that keep the Colombian cocaine traffickers in business. This book is important in that it fills a significant gap in our knowledge of U.S. foreign policy and its application in the drug wars of the South American country of Colombia.

A large amount of resources have been spent on the "war on drugs" in Colombia under the program "Plan Colombia." However, the amount of cocaine reaching consumer countries remains relatively stable after seven years, and the price of cocaine at different stages has not risen. Thus policies such as this one, aimed at reducing the amount of drugs reaching consumers by curtailing production and trafficking, have been relatively ineffective. The first independent evaluation of the anti-drug policies implemented under Plan Colombia, The War on Illegal Drug Production and Trafficking: An Economic Evaluation of Plan Colombia evaluates the costs, efficiency, effectiveness, and future prospects of the war against illegal drug production and trafficking under Plan Colombia. The results from this paper should help policymakers shape more effective (and less costly) anti-drug policies and, hopefully, encourage future research in order to evaluate the costs and benefits of alternative policies, such as demand side controls (treatment and prevention policies) or the legalization (with the appropriate controls) of illegal drugs. The War on Illegal Drug Production and Trafficking is published by Universidad de los Andes Centro de Estudios sobre Desarrollo Economico (Center of Studies on Economic Development), a grantee of the Open Society Institute.

Crandall (political science, Davidson College) examines the evolution of US policy towards Columbia, largely driven by factors relating to the US's "war on drugs," as well as the roots of violence in Colombia. He then focuses on US policy towards the country during two key periods: the Samper administration (1994-1998) and the Pastrana administration (1998-2002). He concludes by assessing current US policy toward Colombia and suggesting directions for future policy. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR