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The return of the Monroe Doctrine
Examining the future (3): Colombia
Colombia depends less on the US economy than Mexico, but it has long standing military and security links with Washington. Colombia is the world’s top producer of coca, the leaf used to manufacture cocaine. It also has one of the largest armies in the region, with direct experience of combat after decades of conflict with various types of armed rebel groups. In fact, the country remains home to Latin America’s longest lasting guerrilla insurgencies. During the presidency of Bill Clinton in the 1990s the US government signed a strategic military cooperation agreement known as Plan Colombia, which allocated around US$10bn to develop counterinsurgency, drug crop eradication, and the strengthening of the state’s presence around the country. Despite that history of collaboration, Trump has favoured an adversarial approach to left wing Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, now in the last of his four-year presidential term.
- The end of an era?
- Is the Monroe Doctrine coming back?
- Boats and tankers under threat
- The big picture; US national security strategy (NSS)
- China maintains LAC focus
- Trump’s use of tariffs
- Latin America swings to the right
- 2026: a year of heightened risk
- What chances of a nationalist backlash?
- Examining the future (1): Mexico
- Examining the future (2): Brazil
- Examining the future (3): Colombia
- Conclusion: the year of uncertainty