When all the Evils Come Together

This article addresses the problem of the interaction between guerrilla groups, coca-growing peasants, drug traffickers in Peru's Upper Huallaga Valley (UHV), and the strategies used by the military to defeat the guerrillas. It also warns about the dangers of involving the armed forces in drug law enforcement. The article shows that waging counterinsurgency operations and drug law enforcement are two very different matters that have to be treated separately. It shows that involving the armed forces in drug law enforcement only worsens the problem by facilitating the spread of corruption in the armed forces.