This study analyzes the security assistance programs which support the President's Andean Initiative, as a part of his overall 'war on drugs.' The study describes the conditions in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru which foster coca growing, and the local police and military agencies with counterdrug responsibilities. The thesis examines the nature of security assistance, and how various security assistance programs support the goal of supply reduction. Congressional changes to security assistance legislation are also examined. The findings reveal that problems of corruption, weak economies, and poor institutional development in the Andean countries limit the effectiveness of American security assistance in reducing the flow of cocaine into the United States. The study concludes that American security assistance is unlikely to contribute to a reduction of the supply of cocaine into the United States. The nature and perception of the drug problem in the Andean Region, together with wide-spread local corruption, negate the intended effects of security assistance. The study also concludes that the national security threat posed by illicit drugs cannot be eliminated by supply-side measures.

ADA 256228 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)