US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will embark on a week-long South America trip today to meet with leftist presidents from Colombia, Peru, and Chile and lead a US delegation to the Organisation of American States summit in Peru.
- The trip comes amid a backdrop of increasing Chinese influence in the region and an election in Brazil which appears set to bring Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva back to power but also carries a risk of political unrest.
- The meeting in Colombia with President Gustavo Petro will be the key engagement of the trip. Petro's reformist agenda includes normalising relations with Venezuela and transforming Colombia’s role in the narcotics trade. Both positions which reverse previous US-Colombia policy and may undermine Colombia’s standing as Washington’s most dependable regional partner.
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