Plan Colombia is a $2 billion assistance package aimed at eradicating cocaine cultivation and eliminating the ELN and FARC, Colombia's two main rebel groups. Critics of the plan cite the disastrous effects of the defoliant on the Amazonian ecosystem and on small farmers of legal crops. Furthermore, it is alleged that the majority of the Plan Colombia funds have been channeled to finance the Colombian military's efforts in its 50-year quasi-civil war; and that this escalating violence has destroyed any peace negotiation opportunities and resulted in increased bombings, kidnapping, and murders. Opponents argue that the largely ineffective Plan Colombia has only served to combat the leftist-guerilla movements and not narco-traffickers.
Ungerman and his wife, Audrey Brohy, have produced other noted works such as Hidden Wars of Desert Storm and Confessions of a New York Call Girl. With both a military and print-media background, Ungerman has created films on topics ranging from U.S. foreign policy to pornography and prostitution. His documentary Peru: Between the Hammer and the Anvil received an AFI/Sony award for best documentary and aired throughout Europe.
This event is hosted and organized by Peaceful Justice at Caltech (PJC) and the Social Activism Speaker Series (SASS). PJC is a student organization dedicated to creating a discourse on issues surrounding peace in a post-9/11 world. SASS focuses attention on current social and political issues by inviting prominent activists to share their experiences and perspectives with the Caltech community and the public.
Baxter Lecture Hall is located in the center of the Caltech campus. Parking is available in the lots south of Del Mar Boulevard between Wilson and Chester Avenues, and in the Wilson Avenue parking structures between San Pasqual Street and Del Mar Boulevard.
For more information, visit http://sass.caltech.edu or contact Greg Fletcher, Caltech Y, (626) 395-6163.
Media Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 [email protected]
Visit the Caltech Media Relations Web site at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media
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