Description: Bilateral relations between Colombia and the US have significantly worsened in the midst of public accusations between the presidents of both countries. Hostilities were reignited in Jul, when Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the US administration of attempting to incite a coup within Colombia through critics and militant groups sympathetic to the opposition. More recently, Petro has heavily criticized Trump and the US military operations in the Caribbean, claiming that one of the targeted boats was actually navigated by a Colombian fisherman which has flared up his emergency distress signal before being killed. US President Trump has answered Petro’s critics, calling the Colombian President an illegal drug leader and stating that the US would cut subsidies and financial aid to Colombia while also considerably increasing the tariffs from the current 10% baseline.
Impact: Petro’s criticism and accusations towards Trump and his administration have prompted the US President to undertake a more aggressive and assertive position towards Colombia in a period where tensions are imploding in the Caribbean. Trump has labeled the US military interventions in South America as part of combating the illegal drug trade while also increasing political pressure on the Venezuelan leader, Nicolas Maduro. The most recent feud with Petro comes as a result of months of friction between the leaders who have traded accusations and increased the bilateral hostile narrative. Colombia has been one of the most significant US partners on the continent while the country’s adversarial stance towards the current US administration would further plunge it towards increasing domestic crises with armed rebel groups, drug cartels and increasing levels of political violence as well as economic decline. The US is expanding its regional military presence while using economic instruments to force leaders and countries to succumb towards US national interests. The region is increasingly unstable with substantial military buildup, presence from covert intelligence agencies such as the CIA and exertion of public pressure from the US upon the regional leaders and countries.