The decertification of Colombia by the United States in counternarcotics efforts is now a fact. In its Presidential Determination for Fiscal Year 2026, the U.S. president included Colombia among the countries that have “failed demonstrably” to meet their international drug control obligations, alongside Afghanistan, Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela. Although Washington decided to maintain assistance on the grounds that it is vital to U.S. national interests, the political and reputational blow is devastating.
The document leaves no room for doubt: under President Gustavo Petro, coca cultivation and cocaine production have reached all-time records. Not even the reduced eradication goals set by his own government were met. The text stresses that this situation “undermined years of mutually beneficial cooperation against narco-terrorists,” and adds that the failure “rests solely with political leadership,” while recognizing the courage and dedication of Colombia’s security forces and local authorities who continue to confront criminal groups under dire circumstances.
This outcome is not accidental: it is the result of a chain of political mistakes that began under Juan Manuel Santos, when the peace accord opened a space of impunity that drug-trafficking organizations quickly exploited. What was supposed to be a path to peace turned into a revolving door for criminal leaders to recycle their power under a legal guise.
With Petro, the situation worsened. His policy of indulgence toward narco-terrorists, his failed attempt to negotiate with armed groups, and his lax stance toward Venezuela’s “Cartel of the Suns”—a regime complicit in the drug trade—have eroded Colombia’s state capacities. The result is clear: unprecedented levels of coca and cocaine, territories under the control of armed bands, and a country that has lost credibility before its main international ally.
The implications of this decertification are serious. Although U.S. assistance will not be suspended due to the “national interest” waiver, Colombia is now under strict scrutiny and in the weakest diplomatic position it has faced in decades. In practice, this decision conditions any future bilateral negotiation and makes clear that the international community no longer believes in the complacent speeches of Colombia’s political leadership.
Decertification is, ultimately, a mirror reflecting how far political irresponsibility can go. Santos mortgaged the country’s future with concessions that weakened justice, and Petro finished dismantling the anti-drug strategy with his permissive approach toward criminals. The cost is measured not only in hectares of coca or tons of cocaine, but also in the loss of international trust and the erosion of internal sovereignty in the face of narcotraffickers’ advance.
The United States left a door open: it will reconsider the decision if Colombia takes aggressive and sustained actions to eradicate coca, reduce production, and prosecute those who produce, traffic, and profit from cocaine—working in close cooperation with U.S. justice to bring criminal leaders to account. The question is whether Colombia’s current political leadership has the will—and the credibility—to do so.
Comments
Post a Comment
Leave a comment. Thanks!
Comentarios de Facebook