Colombia, a long-time US ally in Latin America, has found itself at the heart of a diplomatic storm. President Gustavo Petro recently accused the United States of orchestrating a plot to overthrow or even assassinate him, citing leaked recordings involving former Foreign Minister of Colombia Álvaro Leyva and allegedly top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and representative Mario Díaz-Balart, as well as other Republican politicians.

The allegations, also published by Spain’s El País, prompted both nations to recall their top diplomats, marking a low point in the Washington-Bogota relations not seen since the 1990s. Interestingly, Petro later backtracked in a letter to President Donald Trump, claiming his remarks were not meant to directly implicate US officials. This partial retraction, understandably enough, has done little to quell speculation about Washington’s role, if any, in Colombia’s political turmoil. For one thing, there has been a broader geopolitical shift, with Colombia’s recent moves towards China and the BRICS bloc stoking US anxieties and reviving echoes of the Monroe Doctrine.

Colombia, long a steadfast US ally in Latin America, has traditionally anchored Washington’s regional strategy, bolstered by decades of military aid and trade agreements like the 2006 US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. Yet, under Petro’s left-wing presidency, Bogotá has pivoted eastward, from a US perspective.

In May 2025, Colombia joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a move that certainly raised eyebrows in Washington. Shortly after that, it secured membership in the BRICS’ New Development Bank (NDB), which is increasingly seen as an alternative to........

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