Fragile Alliances: The Strain in US-Colombia Relations Amidst Trump's Militaristic Approach

Fri Oct 24 2025 22:29:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As President Trump suspends aid to Colombia and navigates a contentious military campaign against drug trafficking, the longstanding US-Colombia alliance faces unprecedented challenges that could embolden organized crime.

Decades of US support for Colombia, primarily focused on combating drug trafficking, are now in jeopardy as tensions rise between President Trump and Colombian leader Gustavo Petro. Following accusations from both sides, including Trump's claims that Petro supports drug production and Petro's assertions of US military overreach, the critical relationship seems to erode just as the region faces heightened violence and instability. Experts warn that without cooperation, both nations may suffer as criminal groups take advantage of the situation.

For decades it was one of Washington's closest alliances.

United in their fight against drug trafficking, Colombia and the United States co-operated closely, with the latter receiving hundreds of millions of dollars in US military assistance annually.

But now that alliance appears be more fragile than ever.

The leaders of the two countries may have a similar style - forceful and not prone to mincing their words - but left-wing Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump come from opposing ends of the political spectrum and have clashed frequently since Trump returned to the White House in January.

On Sunday, tensions reached their highest point when Trump accused Petro of encouraging drug production in Colombia and announced the suspension of payments and subsidies to the South American country.

This came after Petro had in turn accused US officials of murdering a Colombian citizen and violating his country's sovereignty in one of the multiple strikes that the US military has carried out against alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean since early September.

BBC Mundo spoke to experts who warned that with the alliance in jeopardy, both Colombia and the US could be at risk of losing out while organised crime groups look set to benefit.

Colombia became one of the main beneficiaries of US aid in the early 2000s, with the money going towards 'Plan Colombia' - a US-funded initiative to combat drug trafficking groups, reduce the flow of drugs to the US, and strengthen the Colombian security forces.

This investment is credited with weakening the Farc guerrilla group, which was at war with the state before officially demobilising in 2016.

Since then, US assistance has been reduced - and has coming under questioning.

Despite Colombia's military successes against armed groups, and its recent years of relative stability and security, some analysts doubt whether Plan Colombia truly resolved the drug problem in the long term.

Cocaine production is currently at record-high levels in Colombia, according to researcher Héctor Galeano from the Colombia-based Institute of Advanced Social and Cultural Studies of Latin America and the Caribbean.

However, the strengthening of security forces under Plan Colombia also had collateral effects, with paramilitary groups becoming involved in abuses against civilians, and some demobilised members of these groups later joining the drug-trafficking business.

The latest rift between Trump and Petro comes at perhaps the most inconvenient time possible for both administrations.

Petro is fighting to bring 'total peace' to Colombia, a campaign promise he made which this year appears to be collapsing with attacks by armed groups mounting in regions such as Catatumbo, Cauca, and Valle del Cauca, and culminating in the assassination of presidential candidate Miguel Uribe Turbay in Bogotá.

Trump, meanwhile, is waging a controversial campaign against drug traffickers, and since September, US military vessels have attacked suspected drug boats, killing at least 37 people - 32 in strikes carried out in the Caribbean and five more in the first such US attacks on two vessels in the Pacific.

Keen observers highlight that the deteriorating relationships between the two nations could yield a looming crisis, where both governments risk sacrificing security in favor of political posturing.