Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) published an in-depth analysis of Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, examining how his proposed policies have impacted Latin America. The piece explores key areas including foreign policy, U.S. foreign aid, migration, drug policy, and the growing threat of authoritarianism.
“When recently asked about the administration’s perceived pivot towards the Western Hemisphere, Secretary of State Marco Rubio singled out countries in the region viewed as friends of the United States and the belief, mirrored by other Republican leaders in Congress, that these leaders were too often ignored by a Biden administration that was at the same time too lenient on U.S. foes. “[F]or a long time if you were a U.S. or pro-American ally in the region, we kind of ignored you and in some cases actually treated you bad … [W]e made deals with the people that hated us and we either neglected or sometimes were outright hostile towards the countries that were pro-American. So we’ve reversed all of that.”
Countries mentioned by Rubio as friends include Guyana, Argentina, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic. Other countries, such as Mexico, where the administration has some “tough issues to work through,” are likely somewhere in the middle. Although not explicitly mentioned, Guatemala’s government also appears to be enjoying favorable relationships with the Trump administration, based on Rubio’s positive February visit with President Bernarndo Arévalo, as is recently re-elected President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador. Argentina’s President Javier Milei, whose ideology and worldview strongly align with Trump’s, remains a close ally, even though the country was hit with a 10 percent tariff, along with virtually every other country in the world. While Colombia remains key to U.S. interests, relations with President Gustavo Petro are strained, as evidenced by the ugly Petro-Trump fight on X, which escalated quickly in January.” Read the full article here
