Bad News in the Southern Front of the War on Terrorism

A little-noticed — and preposterous — development is taking place in the southern front of the war on terrorism: Colombia’s narco-terrorist guerrillas have scored a big diplomatic victory following the decisions by Brazil, Ecuador and Venezuela not to brand them as “terrorists.” It was more than a propaganda victory for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the 17,000-strong guerrilla group that, according to Colombian and U.S. officials, was behind the bomb that leveled Bogotá’s El Nogal social club last month, killing 35 people — including six children — and injuring 175 others. It was a public snub to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe that seems to have emboldened the FARC, courtesy of the Brazil-Ecuador-Venezuela axis of diplomatic spinelessness. Uribe had been asking neighboring countries to declare the FARC a “terrorist organization,” which under United Nations antiterrorism Resolution 1373 would allow them to freeze FARC’s bank accounts, crack down on financing for the group, and deny its members refuge in their territories. The U.S. government and the 15-member European Union have already branded the FARC a terrorist organization, alongside the right-wing Colombian United Self-Defense Groups. Panama has also branded the FARC a terrorist group. Full Story