Traditionally, when US secretaries of state make their international debuts, they travel to major US allies and offer bromides about working together.

Marco Rubio's first trip will be different. He will travel to five small Latin American nations to aggressively push President Donald Trump's doctrine of US self-interest, starting with the Panama Canal.

Rubio will start his trip Saturday in Panama, after Trump charged that China has unfair influence over the canal and vowed that the United States would be "taking it back."

Rubio will then head to El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic to hammer leaders for cooperation on one of Trump's priorities -- deporting millions of people, mostly Latin Americans, living illegally in the United States.

Days before Rubio's trip, Trump showed the punishment he can dole out for resistance.

When Colombia's leftist president, Gustavo Petro, refused US military aircraft of detained citizens and pleaded for more humane treatment, Trump threatened massive tariffs on the longstanding US ally and Rubio suspended visa services. Petro quickly backed........

© International Business Times