Trump threatens Tariffs as Colombia-U.S. Tensions Flare Over Caribbeanโ Attacks
BOGOTร,Colombia – โ A deepening rift between the Unitedโ States and Colombia โขis escalating as former โขPresident โDonald Trump threatens Bogotรก with tariffs following accusations by Colombian President gustavo โฃPetro regardingโฃ U.S. involvement in โextrajudicial executions during recent attacks on vessels in the Caribbean. The escalating tensions โคcome amidst aโฃ backdrop โof increasing โคU.S. scrutiny of armed groups operating in the region,andโค a long history ofโ collaboration-andโ friction-between the two nations in the โfight against drug trafficking.
The current crisis stems from Petro’s claims that the stated โฃjustification for recent missile strikes in the Caribbean – targeting โdrugโ trafficking – was a fabrication. “They say that theโ missiles in theโ Caribbean were too stop drugs. A lie, they were simply poor young โฃpeople from Latin America,” Petro stated. Days โขlater, he โขfurther inflamed โrelations by urging American soldiersโ to disobey ordersโ related to Israel’s military offensiveโฃ inโฃ Gaza, prompting Washington to revokeโข his visaโค and label his statements “reckless and inflammatory.”
The U.S. has been increasingly assertive in designating regionalโ criminal organizations as terrorist entities. In February, the State Department โขadded several โMexican cartels and the โVenezuelan gang Tren deโ Aragua to itsโ list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. โ Previously, in 2021, the Biden โฃadministration added the Central Generalโข Staff and the Second Marquetalia – successor groups to the โฃnow-defunct FARC guerrillaโ -โข to theโ same list.The National Liberation Army (ELN), a guerrilla group active sence โtheโข mid-20th century โฃand withโข a notable presence โin Venezuela,โค has been onโ the list since 1997. U.S.officials have indicated that one of the attacked โฃvesselsโ in the Caribbean belonged to the ELN.
Trump’s tariff threats,announced โthis past Sunday,are โa direct response to Petro’s accusations. Colombia, heavily reliant on trade with the U.S. – itsโฃ largest trading partner – currently benefits from a preferential โขtariff rate of just 10%, giving it a competitive edgeโข in exports like coffee and flowers.
The potential imposition of tariffs has put Colombia on edge, with political and private sectorโข leaders engaging in urgent talks with contacts in Washington.Though, theโ move is drawing โขcriticism โฃfrom โeconomists who argue that restricting legal exports is โฃcounterproductive to combating โdrug trafficking, a ancient cornerstone of U.S.-Colombiaโข cooperation.
