Columbia for all it's graces has been in perpetual conflict from within for the better later half of the past century and eight years into the new.  During the 1970' and peaking in the 1990's cocaine and opium financed anti-government insurgencies and paramilitary groups. Violent drug cartel most notably those of Medellin Cartel controlled by the world famous Pablo Escobar and the Cali Carttel used their new found power to apply political and economic influence over the rest of the region.  The cartels would align with violent armed groups throughout the country and corrupted the politics on all levels. Paramilitary groups and anti-government insurgents added more to the violence that led to one of the most deadliest guerrilla attacks ever.  An attack on the Palace of Justice in the capital city of Bogota by a guerilla group called AD/M-19 on November 6-7, in 1985, shocked the entire world.  The final two day tally of 115 people murdered with 11 of the victims being Supreme Court justices.  The governments has tried to work out peace deals with many of the groups and at times, at least temporarily, the violence against troops, government officials and civilians would go into remission.  Narco-terrorists assassinated three presidential candidates before Cesar Gaviria Trujillo was elected in 1990. After the death of Medellin cartel leader Pablo Escobar in 1993, violence contributed by his former organization subsided. One Insurgency group in Columbia stands out as a major international dilemma for the government. FARC known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia was established as military muscle and security of the Columbian Communist Party.

As cocaine and heroin consumption grew in the United States the drug cartels and anti-government groups were basically being financed by the distribution of the illegal substances in our streets and neighborhoods.  Think about this for a second. America develops a large appetite for a substance creating demand for the product.  The producers of this substance is becoming richer and better armed militarily than the host country's government and results in lawlessness, corruption, murder, and kidnapping.  This escalates  until no-one really knows who is actually really in charge of the government. The result, a narco state is established.  Here is where it gets interesting.  Once the cocaine makes it to the U.S. especially during the eighties and the nineties street gangs distributed the product to the users.  The violence starts all over as gang wars erupt on our streets, most notably California and the rest of the West Coast as well as along the East Coast and eventually to the heartland.  Why, because street capitalism is killing your competition rather than doing a Wall Street takeover or putting together a clever advertising campaign to outsell the competition.

In 1998 President Clinton struggled with the relationship America had with Columbia.  He felt that the South American government was overly corrupt and was incapable of solving the dilemmas created by the drug trafficking that was so negatively impacting both nations and other nations in the region as well.  He was faced with the decision of either committing to help resolve Columbia's drug trafficking problems or in all reality cut them off under U.N. mandate that Columbia must work toward the objectives set forth by 1988 UN Convention on Drugs.  He felt they were failing.

In the end President Clinton determined that the vital national interests of the United States require that U.S. assist the South American government to meet the increasing challenges posed to counter narcotics efforts in Colombia. The President granted Colombia a national interests certification, which allows for broader U.S. engagement with Colombia in the fight against illegal narcotics.  During the previous  period between 1988-1996, the United States provided close to $800 million in U.S. taxpayer money. This funding supported Colombia's counter-narcotics efforts, such as arresting drug traffickers, seizing drugs and illegal processing facilities, and eradicating cocoa and opium poppy.