Salvador. In Washington, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio is already being referred to as the “Viceroy” of Venezuela, i.e. as a kind of colonial governor of the USA, after the American government deposed dictator Nicolás Maduro there at the beginning of the year.
With his three-day trip to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, Rubio wanted to demonstrate how closely Washington is now working with the conservative governments in the region. But anyone who expected that the three heads of state would submit to Washington as unconditionally as the leadership in Venezuela was disappointed. This applies to both military cooperation and relations with China.
Things sounded different before Rubio's departure: "We have many common interests with these countries - both in the fight against cross-border criminal terrorism in the region and in economic relations," said the foreign minister, who has Cuban roots.
All states have now agreed to join the “Shield of the Americas”. Trump founded this security and defense alliance for Latin America in March. Together, Washington and its partners want to take action against drug cartels and organized crime, control migration flows and limit the influence of China and Russia. 20 states are already members. But there is still no consensus on the details of military cooperation.
But when Rubio visited, things suddenly sounded different. The foreign minister said: "The Colombians never asked for American soldiers to come to Colombia and fight the drug cartels. They asked us for help and training." Instead, Rubio cited intelligence, specialized equipment and training as areas of cooperation.
Military cooperation has a tradition: With “Plan Colombia”, the USA provided the country with more than ten billion dollars from 2000 to 2016 for the fight against guerrillas and drug trafficking. US aid also continued under left-wing President Gustavo Petro, although Trump sharply criticized his anti-drug policy. Colombia is by far the largest cocaine producer in the world, and the USA is the most important sales market.
In Peru, President Keiko Fujimori, who has just taken office, also emphasized that special authorization from Congress is necessary for the deployment of foreign troops. Joining the Shield of the Americas will not change that, she said. “Peru’s sovereignty is inviolable.” Peru is the world's number two producer of cocaine.
Only in Ecuador did President Daniel Noboa come close to Rubio's security ideas. Rubio announced $45 million in additional security aid, which Congress still needs to approve. He publicly confirmed that American and Ecuadorian elite units are already working together on a daily basis. The country is the “most aggressive” partner of the USA in taking action against transnational criminal groups. “It is an incredible step forward that there are countries willing to participate in this effort within their territorial waters.” Ecuador hardly produces any cocaine, but in recent years it has become one of the drug's most important transit countries to the USA.
This is particularly true in Peru, where Chinese state-owned companies have a strong presence in mining, energy supply and, above all, the major port of Chancay. China's influence on the country's politics and economy has long been a thorn in the side of the USA.
Shortly before the trip, in an opinion article for the Peruvian daily “El Comercio,” Rubio accused China of “entering our region with promises that hide its predatory practices.” The foreign minister said Beijing was undermining national sovereignty and disregarding Peru's legal framework "in the form of opaque contracts, unsustainable debt, exploitation of workers and environmental degradation." He contrasted this with private US investments, which he portrayed as respectful of Peruvian property and the security interests of the hemisphere.
Fujimori signaled to Rubio that rapprochement with the US would not mean a break with China. “Peru will continue its efforts to maintain trade relations with various countries in Asia, the Pacific and of course Europe.” She also referred to Peru's membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Community APEC, which includes both China and the USA.
Colombia takes a similar approach. De la Espriella wants to make the country the US's closest security partner in South America again and is said to have promised Washington to withdraw from China's Belt and Road Initiative (New Silk Road). However, his government is not planning an economic break with Beijing. "China is very present. Relations will be assessed from a purely pragmatic point of view," said Foreign Minister Omar Bula.
