United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has landed in Colombia at the start of a multi-nation Latin America tour. The diplomatic visit is designed to strengthen pro-US leaders and Washington’s influence as part of its geopolitical agenda after a series of recent right-wing electoral successes in the region.
The first stop on the tour in Barranquilla reflects a fundamental change in the U.S.- Colombian relationship since the June election of President Abelardo de la Espriella. The hard-right lawyer/millionaire campaigned on an anti-establishment platform and vowed to halt peace negotiations with armed groups and pursue crime with vigor. This would differ significantly from the former president, Gustavo Petro, a leftist, who has clashed with Washington before. Since then, the government under the direction of the Presidencia de la República de Colombia has increased the level of air attacks and has given the army permission to use military force in cooperation with the United States. In addition, it is important to highlight that Bogotá has become the first city to join the “Shield of the Americas”, led by the United States to fight against drug trafficking in the region.
Based on information from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the main objective of this trip is to boost cooperation in the common struggle against narcoterrorism. Rubio will also talk about rebuilding after the devastating earthquake that hit Colombia’s coffee-growing region on August 10 and resulted in more than 330 deaths and destroyed vital infrastructure. The Colombian government asked for US aid with an appeal to suspend customs duties to aid in reconstruction efforts.
It is a diplomatic swing through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru at a time when other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, and Honduras are undergoing a conservative political transition. Washington has made it a point to make it clear since the return of President Trump to The White House in January 2025 that it wants to be the dominant player in the region, under a policy it calls the “Donroe Doctrine. This is a combination of Trump’s brand and the classical Monroe Doctrine, which made Latin America a US exclusive. This goal is explicitly outlined in the new US National Security Strategy for which Rubio is believed to be the primary architect.
The visit comes shortly before a key geopolitical deal, obtained seven months after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro, that gives Washington majority control over 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves.
After Colombia, the Secretary of State will make his way to Ecuador, where he will meet President Daniel Noboa. The Presidencia de la República del Ecuador is working together with Washington on the search of ships associated with the Los Choneros criminal group. It comes after a campaign of airstrikes by the U.S. and its allies against suspected drug trafficking ships from a year ago in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that killed more than 200 people and triggered international criticism of human rights violations.
Rubio’s last call will be in Peru, where he will meet with President Keiko Fujimori. The new leader of the Gobierno del Perú shares close ties with the policies of the current United States government in the region and thus reinforces Washington’s new stronghold over the continent.
