The political pendulum in Latin America made a sharp turn to the right after conservative lawyer and businessman Abelardo de la Espriella officially took office as the new president of Colombia.
The historic ceremony was held in the city of Cali under tight security, breaking the tradition of holding the event in the capital Bogota. The move is a clear signal of the new "hard hand" (mano dura) against illegal armed groups and drug cartels in the country. According to world agencies, citing statements from the White House, the administration of US President Donald Trump immediately declared full support for the new Colombian government.
A billion dollars from Washington and a new military alliance
The US State Department has confirmed plans to provide $1 billion in financial assistance to support the De la Espriella administration. The funds will be provided in the form of a security and defense package aimed at rebuilding the country's military capacity and combating transnational crime.
As a cornerstone of this renewed partnership, Colombia officially joins the US-created multinational alliance “Shield of the Americas“. The regional alliance was established earlier this year to coordinate military and intelligence forces in the Western Hemisphere to crushing drug cartels, cutting off mass migration, and limiting foreign influence in the region. By attracting Bogota, Washington is closing a key geopolitical gap in the southern continent.
Venezuelan script heads to Cuba
In parallel with the changes in Colombia, the authoritative publication The New York Times (NYT) reported that the US administration is actively searching for a suitable candidate for the leader of Cuba, following the already tested “Venezuelan scenario“. After the spectacular American operation at the beginning of the year, in which Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was captured, Washington relied on a model for gradual regime change by finding internal figures and exerting strong economic pressure.
According to NYT sources cited by world media, the CIA has created a specialized unit for Cuba (Cuba task force). Its goal is to identify influential figures in the current Cuban government who would agree to a deal to remove the communist regime of President Miguel Diaz-Canel in exchange for economic restructuring and lifting the energy blockade.
The new Colombian president has already announced that he is severing diplomatic relations with Cuba, describing the government in Havana as a "tyranny", which is completely in line with the broader US strategy of isolating the island.