Written from the perspective of a former active participant in the U.S. anti-drug policy formulation and implementation efforts, Cocaine Quagmire is an in-depth analysis of why the U.S. drug war in Colombia is failing. While frequent anti-drug battles are won, dynamic socioeconomic and political factors have created a quagmire of countervailing obstacles leading to strategic foreign policy defeat in the North Andes. The Clinton Administration focused on combating narcotrafficking and yet misunderstood how a strong international demand and immense profits provide the basic incentives that keep the Colombian cocaine traffickers in business. This book is important in that it fills a significant gap in our knowledge of U.S. foreign policy and its application in the drug wars of the South American country of Colombia.