Latin American leader in dealing with Trump: Colombia's President failed

Latin American leader in dealing with Trump: Colombia's President failed

Havana, Cuba - a smoldering diplomatic conflict over deportation freewers came to light on Sunday and threatened to burden the once close relationship between the United States and Colombia. This also illustrates the uncertainty that many people in Latinamerika to a possible second presidency by Donald Trump.

Colombia defends itself against halving the human dignity

outraged that deportation with tied hands are brought back on board military flights, the Colombian President Gustavo Petro turned against the deportations from the USA. He stopped two flights that were already in the air and led to the South American country, which surprisingly met the Trump administration.

In several posts on the X platform, Petro announced that the US military deportation fees are blocking. He addressed a clear message to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and warned: "I will never allow Colombians to be brought to flights in handcuffs. Marco, if officials have allowed this, this would never have happened under my leadership." This was a bold attitude - one from which he soon had to withdraw.

The effects on the region

The sudden gap between the United States and Colombia, a country that has long been received by the United States, has been given extensive military support, a strong signal for the entire region would have sent. So far, Colombia has accepted the deportation fees that are deeply unpopular in the region. Trump has announced that it will deport a large number of immigrants back to Latin America, to carry out cross -border attacks on Mexican drug cartels and to increase the economic sanctions against left -wing governments in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Some regional leaders immediately took the hat off Petro: "We support President Gustavo Petro in his worthy defense of the rights of the Colombians and his answer to the discriminatory treatment and the extortion game with which one tries to put his people and our America under pressure," wrote the Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on X.

Petro and his strategic considerations

for Colombia, which has received billions of dollars of US aids to fight drug trafficking and militant groups, it would have been a brave step to open the United States openly. As a result, Petro might have given other regional leaders the courage to act similarly. In view of corruption scandals and increasing violence, while two Colombian militant groups fight with each other and against the government, Petro could have hoped that a public dispute with the Trump administration would offer a welcome distraction.

But the former guerrilla fighter, who is now the first left-wing President of Colombia, apparently underestimated how violently the new US administration would react to his words.

Trump and the answer to the provocation

Petro did not follow the explanation of Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum, who had said, "it is always important to keep a cool head" if you are faced with Trump's threats. Instead, Petro tried to challenge Trump in his own way, and said in detailed articles on X that he had to consider Colombianos as "inferior" and that "I do not shake his hands with white slaves".

consequences and retreat

experts point out that there is little patience for Petro in the new Republican administration. Donald Trump and his environment, including Rubio, are not interested in a positive relationship with Petro. This resulted in Petro as the ideal goal to stable an example in other countries that could face the deportation.

"You cannot challenge publicly, and we will make sure that the world knows that you cannot appear as an unspeakable and deceptive manner," an official representative of the Trump administration told CNN.

trade relationships and economic pressure

The United States is Colombia's largest trading partner. After the Trump administration reacted with 25% tariffs and other measures, Petro gave up on the same day-his ambitions to become a voice against Trump and the deportations seemed to disappear. The threat of Washington with economic sanctions and the stop of Visa services not only frightened the Colombians, but also other countries in the region that recognized more clearly than ever how central pressure in Trump's foreign policy would be.

Many in the region were surprised that Petro, after triggering a diplomatic incident, quickly buckled. Nevertheless, there is the possibility that a summit of the left leaders in the regional Celac committee, which is planned for Thursday, could revive a united anti-trump alliance to combat deportation.

The argument between Colombia and the USA has once again shown that Latin America will probably be affected by many Trump policies and the anger of US officials due to its proximity when regional leaders try to comment. Regardless of the bitter consequences of the incident, the massive US pressure campaign seems to have achieved the desired results for the Trump administration-at least at the moment.

On Monday, Colombia announced that it will send his own military aircraft to pick up the migrants that should arrive the day before.