Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
As one of the United States’ top security, trade and counternarcotics partners in the Western Hemisphere, Colombia’s May 31st presidential elections are bound to have major implications for U.S. policy toward the region. Despite increased bilateral tensions under Presidents Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro over drug policy, relations with China, climate change, and the war in Gaza, the two countries maintain close institutional relationships across various sectors built on decades of partnership, commerce and shared regional priorities. As the Trump administration adopts a more aggressive approach toward fighting transnational crime and countering Chinese influence in Latin America, understanding the economic, security and foreign policy platforms of Colombia’s leading candidates proves indispensable for navigating the future of U.S.-Colombia relations.
The Quincy Institute held a discussion with prominent Colombia experts as they discussed the key issues at stake in Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections, the distinguishing features of the top three candidates, and the broader significance for U.S. policy toward Latin America’s third-largest country and the region at large. We heard from Glaeldys González Calanche, analyst of the Southern Andes for the International Crisis Group; Steve Hege, director of the Latin American Institute for Peace & Security (ILAPS); and Ambassador Luis Fernando Medina Sierra, permanent representative of Colombia to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Lee Schlenker, research associate in QI’s Global South program, will moderate.
As one of the United States’ top security, trade and counternarcotics partners in the Western Hemisphere, Colombia’s May 31st presidential elections are bound to have major implications for U.S. policy toward the region. Despite increased bilateral tensions under Presidents Donald Trump and Gustavo Petro over drug policy, relations with China, climate change, and the war in Gaza, the two countries maintain close institutional relationships across various sectors built on decades of partnership, commerce and shared regional priorities. As the Trump administration adopts a more aggressive approach toward fighting transnational crime and countering Chinese influence in Latin America, understanding the economic, security and foreign policy platforms of Colombia’s leading candidates proves indispensable for navigating the future of U.S.-Colombia relations.
The Quincy Institute held a discussion with prominent Colombia experts as they discussed the key issues at stake in Colombia’s upcoming presidential elections, the distinguishing features of the top three candidates, and the broader significance for U.S. policy toward Latin America’s third-largest country and the region at large. We heard from Glaeldys González Calanche, analyst of the Southern Andes for the International Crisis Group; Steve Hege, director of the Latin American Institute for Peace & Security (ILAPS); and Ambassador Luis Fernando Medina Sierra, permanent representative of Colombia to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Lee Schlenker, research associate in QI’s Global South program, will moderate.
