Trump builds vast Latin America military alliance on the cheap
US president has slashed aid to Latin America despite alignment of governments; Military assistance to eight nations dropped to just US$56 million last year. Leer más
President Donald Trump has been slashing US aid to Latin America while country after country has elected governments aligned with him. Military aid to eight of the region's major economies dropped to just US$56 million last year, the lowest since at least 2001. Trump ally Flávio Bolsonaro is favored to win Brazil's presidential election and run for re-election, while Mexico remains the only major regional economy not under Trump's allied government.
Despite renewed focus on the region, Trump is instead pressuring countries to increase their defense budgets, purchase US weapons, and join US-led operations against drug cartels. Since 2023, allies have won elections in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia. Venezuela's socialist government has aligned with Washington after US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro.
Colombia, the largest US military aid recipient in the region, has been promised additional aid but receives only a fraction of what it got during the Clinton-era Plan Colombia. The US has shifted from military aid to sales, aiming to revitalize its industrial base through weapon exports. Fourteen Latin American countries signed onto Trump's anti-crime alliance, and US troops have participated in joint operations in Ecuador and Panama.
Bloomberg Economics notes that while rhetoric has increased, actual financial assistance has not kept pace, signaling potential limitations to the US strategy.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
