Drug trafficking has helped to perpetuate Colombia's conflict by providing earnings to both left- and right-wing armed groups. When President Santos was inaugurated on August 7, 2010, he pledged to continue the successful security strategies of his predecessor while pursuing democratic, economic, and social reforms. As a result, the national unity coalition backing President Santos was strained, his relations with Congress were weakened, and his popularity suffered. Uribe's criticism of the Santos government centers on what he sees as a conciliatory approach to the FARC and the government of Venezuela, but Uribe has also expressed negative views on the judicial reform that was initially backed by the Santos government, the law to compensate victims of the internal conflict, and the peace framework law passed by the Colombian Congress in June 2012. Foreign Affairs and Trade

A hallmark of the Santos Administration has been improving relations with neighboring Ecuador and Venezuela. He later said that preliminary talks with FARC's leadership had been underway for about six months to establish a framework for the formal peace talks that would open in Norway in October and then move to Cuba. Today more than 377,000 victims have registered under the JPL. U.S. Policy Focus and Concerns

		Colombia and Global Drug Trends

Colombia's prominence in the global production of cocaine and heroin has long been a U.S. focus of counternarcotics efforts in the Andean region. The conflict in Colombia and its associated drug trafficking have led to spillover effects in Colombia's neighboring countries, especially Venezuela and Ecuador. Following a diplomatic intervention, Venezuela restored relations. Ecuador has other issues with Colombia. Aerial eradication has been controversial both in Colombia and the United States. The USAID Mission in Colombia reports significant progress since funding started flowing for alternative development through Plan Colombia. The new strategy was intended to consolidate the gains of the Democratic Security policies that were successful in reducing violence in the first term and to consolidate state presence in marginal areas where insurgent activity by illegal armed groups, drug trafficking, and violence converged. Called "integrated action" and later the National Consolidation Plan (PNC), the strategy combines security, counternarcotics, and development in a sequenced approach targeting remote, but strategically important, areas where illegal armed groups continue to operate. Funding for Plan Colombia

From FY2000 through FY2012, U.S. funding for Plan Colombia and its follow-on strategies totaled over $8 billion in State Department and Defense Department programs. U.S.-Colombia Defense Cooperation Agreement

On October 30, 2009, the United States and Colombia signed the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to provide the United States access to seven military facilities in Colombia to conduct joint counternarcotics and anti-terrorism operations over a 10-year period. Human Rights

Debate in the U.S. Congress has continued to focus on allegations of human rights abuses by the FARC and ELN, paramilitary groups, and the Colombian Armed Forces, and the extent of the investigation and prosecution of such crimes. Despite these measures, human rights organizations contend that the U.S. government often ignores questionable activities of Colombian security forces. Nearly five years later, the U.S. Congress approved implementing legislation for the CFTA ( H.R. Acknowledging that one of the key concerns of opponents of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement involved the status of labor rights in Colombia, on April 7, 2011, President Santos and President Obama announced they had agreed upon an Action Plan Related to Labor Rights (Action Plan). Some Members of Congress who opposed the CFTA concede that the Colombian government has made progress but maintain that continued violence against labor leaders and human rights defenders make it an unfit trade partner. Concluding Policy Perspectives

With approval by the U.S. Congress of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement in 2011 and its entry into force in May 2012, the U.S.-Colombia partnership passed a major milestone. Colombia has also emerged as a regional leader, providing police and justice training to nations around the world including many in Latin America.
Colombia, a key U.S. ally, has made measurable progress in providing security despite having endured the longest internal armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere. It has long been a source for both cocaine and heroin. Drug trafficking has helped to perpetuate civil conflict by funding both left-wing and right-wing armed groups. Over the years, Colombia and the United States forged a close partnership focused initially on counternarcotics and later counterterrorism. Building on that cooperation, the U.S.-Colombia partnership has broadened to include development, human rights, and trade. Colombia has emerged as a regional leader providing training in security and counternarcotics throughout the hemisphere and elsewhere.
President Juan Manuel Santos, inaugurated in August 2010, has governed with the backing of almost 90% of the Colombian Congress in a "national unity" coalition. In a policy he calls "democratic prosperity," Santos has continued the mission of his popular predecessor of accentuating security, while promoting economic development, creation of jobs, and poverty reduction. He has repaired relations with Ecuador and Venezuela, which had been strained under the former government. He has promoted legislative reforms, including a landmark law to compensate victims of the internal conflict; a justice reform bill that ultimately failed; and controversial "peace framework" and military justice reforms that appeared to be laying the groundwork for an eventual peace settlement. In October 2012, formal peace talks opened with the dominant leftist guerrilla organization, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), following a surprise announcement that the government had been conducting secret exploratory talks for months.
Colombia, in close collaboration with the United States, through a strategy known as Plan Colombia, has made significant progress in reestablishing government control over much of its territory, combating drug trafficking and terrorist activities, and reducing poverty. Between FY2000 and FY2012, the U.S. Congress appropriated more than $8 billion in assistance to carry out Plan Colombia and its follow-on strategies. As Colombia's security and development conditions improved, former U.S.-supported programs have been nationalized to Colombian control. Consequently, U.S. assistance with its counternarcotics, counterterrorism, judicial reform, economic development, humanitarian, and human rights components has gradually declined. The National Consolidation Plan, the current Colombian security strategy, updates Plan Colombia with a whole-of-government approach that integrates security, development, and counternarcotics by consolidating state presence in previously ungoverned areas.
The 112th Congress has maintained a strong interest in Colombia's progress in trade, security, counternarcotics, and human rights. In October 2011, the U.S. Congress approved implementing legislation for the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which went into force on May 15, 2012. Members of Congress will continue to monitor the associated Action Plan Related to Labor Rights that addressed U.S. concerns related to labor rights and violence in Colombia. In addition to the larger debate about what role the United States should continue to play in Colombia's ongoing struggle with drug trafficking and illegal armed groups, Congress has expressed concern with a number of related issues. These include funding levels for Plan Colombia's follow-on strategies; continuing allegations of human rights abuses; and the effectiveness of counternarcotics policies such as aerial eradication and alternative development. Members will likely monitor Colombia's peace negotiations and their effect on security conditions in the country. For additional information, see CRS Report RL34470, The U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues.