by Rafael Pardo

About the author: Rafael Pardo was a special adviser for peace negotiations to the president of Colombia from 1986 to 1990 and Colombia’s first civilian minister of defense from 1991 to 1994.

During the 1980s, Latin America was at the forefront of U.S. foreign and security policy. But as the Cold War ended and local conflicts subsided, the region slipped onto a strategic back burner. Washington’s interest in it was sparked chiefly by financial opportunities or crises. Now Latin American battles are once again in the news as civil strife in Colombia becomes a serious security threat not only to the Andean region but to the broader hemisphere as well.

The Colombian conflict is deep-rooted and complex, involving two basic issues (drugs and control of the country) and...