The Andean Initiative is designed to help the major coca- growing/processing/shipping nations of Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru to reduce illicit drug activities. The U.S. strategy includes enhanced economic, military, and law enforcement assistance, in addition to preferential trade treatment for these countries. A broad spectrum of multilateral initiatives is included in the strategy as well. Administration and other groups that have evaluated Andean Initiative programs have come to different conclusions. Some are encouraged by results achieved to date and are optimistic over prospects for ongoing success; others suggest "start up" has been slow, but prospects for success are promising as implementation is achieved. Others maintain that the strategy has so far been a failure and will continue to be so. Analysts generally recognize that the evaluation of program efficiency and strategy effectiveness is a difficult task. Issues that continue for policymakers are the overall soundness of the strategy, the effectiveness of U.S. drug policy leadership, the adequacy of resources, the need for host nation cooperation, the danger of a single-issue foreign policy, and criteria for the evaluation of effectiveness. The author notes that any objective evaluation of the strategy must consider either the consequences of no strategy or how the strategy compares with an alternative, competing strategy, which is thus far not available. 7 notes, 18 references, and 2 tables