COLOMBIA—Threat in AMERICA’s Backyard?

The United States and Colombia have withdrawn their ambassadors from each other’s countries as tensions escalate over accusations that the U.S. was involved in a plot to overthrow Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

At a Glance

  • The U.S. and Colombia have recalled their top diplomats amid a crisis sparked by allegations of a U.S.-backed coup plot against Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
  • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the allegations from Colombian officials “baseless and reprehensible.”
  • The diplomatic rift comes as Petro’s leftist government has pivoted sharply toward China, recently joining its Belt and Road Initiative.
  • China has now surpassed the U.S. as Colombia’s second-largest trading partner, highlighting a troubling regional trend for American interests.

A Diplomatic Crisis Unfolds

A major diplomatic crisis has erupted between the United States and Colombia, a country that has historically been one of America’s closest allies in Latin America. On Thursday, July 3, 2025, the U.S. recalled its top envoy, Chargé d’Affaires John McNamara, from Bogotá. In a sharp statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move was in response to “baseless and reprehensible statements from the highest levels of the Government of Colombia” alleging U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow the country’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro.

In a tit-for-tat response, President Petro recalled his ambassador from Washington, D.C. The standoff marks a new low in the rapidly deteriorating relationship between the two nations.

Colombia’s “China Pivot”

The diplomatic firestorm is occurring as President Petro’s government actively pivots away from the United States and toward Communist China. In May 2025, Colombia officially joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure project that critics have labeled a form of “debt-trap diplomacy.”

As detailed by Bloomberg, China has already overtaken the U.S. as Colombia’s second-largest trading partner. The shift has caused alarm among Colombian business leaders, who fear the impact of cheap Chinese imports on local industries.

A Troubling Regional Trend

Colombia’s pivot toward China is not happening in a vacuum. It mirrors a similar, and deeply troubling, regional trend of leftist governments in South America turning away from the U.S. and embracing its primary geopolitical rival.

As noted by The Rio Times, Brazil, under its leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has also strengthened its economic and diplomatic ties with China. At the same time, Lula’s government has engaged in what critics call a political persecution of his conservative predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, and has implemented new social media regulations that threaten free speech.

The growing Chinese presence in what was once considered America’s backyard represents a significant challenge to U.S. leadership and national security in the Western Hemisphere.

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