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As Joe Biden himself said in an exclusive interview with EL TIEMPO on one day of the presidential elections, Colombia will continue to be a strategic ally of the United States as of next year, when his Democratic administration takes over the reins of the White House.
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For Biden, the country is not only key from a national security perspective, but the “cornerstone” of his vision for Latin America. But as it happens every time the colors change in the Oval Office, the bilateral relationship will likely have new nuances.
Under the presidency of Donald Trump, the emphasis was placed on the fight against drug trafficking and the crisis in Venezuela. With Biden, while these two issues will remain at the top of the agenda, changes are foreseeable.
The president-elect of the United States, as it is remembered, was one of the original authors of Plan Colombia and knows that the fight against drugs is essential for the governance of the country. And while it will continue to support eradication efforts, it is feasible – and this was seen during the years he was with Barack Obama in the White House – that it pay more attention to alternative development programs that create jobs in areas affected by this problem.
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Although no one believes that he would oppose the resumption of aerial spraying, it is clear that within his party there are voices that do not share this approach. But to support it or not is something that depends largely on what Congress decides, who is the one who approves the resources and where the Republican Party will continue to press for it to be used as a method of eradication.
Biden was vice president of Barack Obama.
In the case of Venezuela, experts believe that it will continue to push for the approval of resources that help to cover the emergency caused by the entry of millions of refugees and will invest political capital in building a coalition of countries that work for the return of democracy in this country, but without the warmongering discourse that characterized the Trump years.
Likewise, it is anticipated that the pressure will increase to implement the peace accords that were signed with the FARC. It cannot be forgotten that the Obama administration, in which Biden spent eight years, supported the negotiations from the beginning and later gave life to Paz Colombia, an initiative presented to Congress to finance the commitments.
By the way, you can also expect that low Biden increase the attention for the defense of human rights, the inclusion of Afro and indigenous communities, the protection of the environment and the fight against climate change.
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Economically, no major changes are foreseen. But it is likely that two issues that generated tension with the Republican administration will disappear from his agenda: the unilateral imposition of tariffs on Colombian products, such as it happened in the case of aluminum, and the specter of the renegotiation of the Free Trade Agreement.
Diplomatic channels
Generally speaking, under a Biden administration the diplomatic channels of yesteryear will return, where the weight of the bilateral relationship was distributed between the State Department and the National Security Council.
It is estimated that on the issue of Venezuela, Biden has a less warmongering tome than that of President Donald Trump.
Brendan Smialowski. AFP
And where the country will have access, as it is believed that two Colombian-Americans could hold relevant positions. There is talk of Juan González as National Security Advisor for the Western Hemisphere and Dan Restrepo in some high-level position in the US Foreign Ministry.
Likewise, Trump’s unpredictability, who one day threatened to decertify Colombia, will come out of the deck for not complying in the fight against drugs and throwing darts at President Iván Duque, and the next he was on the best terms.
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“The bipartisan relationship between the United States and Colombia is expected to continue as it has historically been. Biden’s style is multilateral and moderate. In Latin America, its emphasis will be on environmental and commercial issues with a greater emphasis on the protection of human rights and the fight against corruption. For Colombia, a government of Biden and his prepared and experienced team will be positive”Says Muni Jensen, who is responsible for Latin American issues at Albright Stonebridge Group.
The bipartisan relationship between the United States and Colombia is expected to continue as it has historically been. Biden’s style is multilateral and moderate.
What remains to be seen is how much damage the open support offered by some Colombian politicians to Trump caused the relationship, especially from the Democratic Center.
According to Jensen, this alleged interference “generated unnecessary noise, which tarnishes the style of the bilateral relationship. But it will undoubtedly go down in memory as an isolated incident and ties of 40 years or more will remain intact. “
In a recent interview, Restrepo assured that Biden will approach the relationship with Colombia thinking about what is convenient for the United States and the region. But he also said that meddling in the US campaign could have more impact in Congress, where it is possible to break the bipartisan support that has always existed in front of the country.
Trump won in Florida thanks to the support of Latinos in that state.
It won’t be easy for Democrats to forget that they contributed to Biden’s defeat in Florida.. Especially since the vote of Colombians in Miami-Dade County was key in the defeat of two congressmen from his party. And that former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, by expressing his effusive support for the Republican candidate María Elvira Salazar, sealed his fate.
According to several sources consulted by this newspaper in the Democratic environment, what they do not forgive is that they have joined a virulent smear campaign against Biden who had no grip on reality.
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“The problem was not expressing his favoritism for Trump. Although it would have been preferable for them to remain on the sidelines, they have the right to express their opinion if they believe that one or another candidate is better for Colombia. The problem was having contributed to spreading the false accusations about Biden’s supposed socialism and ‘Castro-Chavism’. And even participated in the strategy, since we all know that Castro-Chavism is a term typical of Colombian politics, but that it ended up being exported to the campaign in the United States and used as a weapon of war against the president-elect. It is a page that will not be easy to pass ”, a source in this party told this newspaper.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
WASHINGTON
On Twitter: sergom68
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