US Offloads $1bn to Colombia Amid New President's Right‑Wing Turn
The United States announced a $1bn security package for Colombia just hours after President Abelardo de la Espriella took office. The pledge signals an intimate alignment with the new president’s hard‑line approach to drug cartels.
De la Espriella, a former lawyer and businessman, greeted troops at a military base and vowed an “all‑out war” against organised crime. He branded his predecessor’s “total peace” strategy a failure and promised that the state would be forceful and decisive against crime.
The move comes amid a Latin American trend of right‑wing governments, mirroring similar crackdowns in El Salvador and Ecuador. It also fits the United States’ strategy of courting politically aligned leaders in the region and spurning others.
Trump has repeatedly called for strong ties with Colombia over drug trafficking and illegal immigration, and welcomes the partnership as a chance to deepen economic ties. The State Department framed the package as a “security package” designed to help the president achieve shared goals.
De la Espriella also pledged a military alliance with the US and Israel, a sharp contrast to Petro’s earlier foreign‑policy stance that cut ties with Israel over its Gaza offensive.
The oath in Cali rather than Bogotá signalled his intention to distance himself from centralised politics. The new administration’s alliances and policy shifts foreshadow a more assertive, anti‑organised crime orientation for Colombia.
