A “security pact” against drug traffickers authorizes U.S. military operations in Colombia

by Cosimo Graziani

Bogotá – Although it has been in office for only a few days, Colombia’s new presidential administration, led by Abelardo de la Espriella, has already made a decisive shift in the country’s foreign policy. On 12 August, Foreign Minister Edoardo Mora signed an agreement with the United States allowing the North American country to carry out military operations in Colombia. The agreement is justified by the two countries’ stated intention to combat drug trafficking, a priority at the heart of the policy platforms of both administrations. Representing the United States at the signing of the “Pact” was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who also announced that Colombia will join the “Shield of the Americas,” an initiative involving seventeen other countries and officially aimed at combating terrorism and drug trafficking in North and South America. “This is the beginning of a new chapter in defense cooperation between the United States and Colombia,” Hegseth said.

As mentioned, the Colombian government’s move is in line with de la Espriella’s campaign promises. He had pledged to fight drug trafficking in the country without “seeking a compromise,” as his predecessor, Gustavo Petro, had said.
The new government’s decision immediately became part of the domestic political debate. Figures close to the former president have accused de la Espriella of seeking to undermine the country’s sovereignty in favor of the United States. The issue therefore promises to be controversial, with institutional challenges also expected. According to the opposition, citing the Constitution, the prerogative to authorize the transit of foreign troops through Colombian territory does not belong to the presidential administration, but to the Senate.

Relations between the two countries are now being reshaped around the urgency of addressing a shared problem: cocaine. Colombia is the world’s largest producer, while the United States is its largest consumer. U.S. President Donald Trump has targeted drug cartels and criminal groups since the first weeks of his second administration. The campaign against drug traffickers – or “narcoterrorism,” as it is more commonly described – has been at the heart of the U.S. effort to remove Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
While in Maduro’s case “narcoterrorism” was invoked as a justification for removing a regime hostile to the United States, in Colombia the campaign against drug trafficking may have somewhat stronger grounds. According to United Nations sources, cocaine production has increased exponentially in recent years, leaving Colombia firmly in first place worldwide. Under Gustavo Petro’s presidency, there was an unrelenting fight against cocaine trafficking, but the increase in production and in the number of armed groups using the drug trade to finance their activities rendered law-enforcement efforts ineffective.
The connection between armed groups and drug trafficking is a real issue in Colombia. The United States, therefore, with the backing of de la Espriella’s government, knows it has greater room for maneuver for future military operations in the country. It cannot therefore be ruled out that such operations could be carried out in the very near future.

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