The European Union will sign off on a free-trade agreement with Colombia and its neighbor Peru by June 2009. It's a strong opportunity, because 10 years ago Colombia was a drug-trafficking hellhole with 30,000 murders a year. It's now transformed into a safe country that values rule of law and has attractive emerging markets opening up.
The change didn't come out of nowhere:
- According to the Center for International Policy's Just the Facts database, the United States spent $5.8 billion on military, police, economic and social aid to Colombia from 1996 through 2009.
- Washington trained 37,000 soldiers to become a professional fighting force; the United States lost at least 11 service members in that effort.
But Europe will now grab our existing markets there, because U.S. companies export virtually the same products to Colombia as Europe: $9 billion in chemicals, auto parts, industrial equipment and capital goods. Europe's goods will sail in duty-free. America's will be saddled with 35 percent tariffs.
[because Pelosi's Unions are hiding behind the sham of 'worker rights' to block competition - again]
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