Colombia

Colombia and the United States have consolidated a close and mutually-beneficial partnership over the past twenty years. Plan Colombia, a bipartisan foreign policy success, laid the foundation for a strategic alliance that has widened to include sustainable development, trade, hemispheric security, and human rights. Today, Colombia is positioning itself as a leader in the region and the world.

Recent analysis

Colombia’s president: The US helped Colombia through COVID-19. Now it’s time for the next phase of cooperation.

Dispatches Feb 23, 2026

Why Colombia’s veterans are going to war in Ukraine

By Erin K. McFee

A lack of economic opportunities and pathways to reintegration is leading Colombian veterans to fight for Ukraine.
Colombia Conflict
Colombia’s president: The US helped Colombia through COVID-19. Now it’s time for the next phase of cooperation.

Dispatches Feb 5, 2026

How the Trump-Petro meeting could reshape Colombia’s electoral landscape

By Isabella Palacios

Petro’s turn toward engagement with Trump could have a significant impact on Colombia’s upcoming elections and the next president’s relations with Washington.
Colombia Latin America
Colombia’s president: The US helped Colombia through COVID-19. Now it’s time for the next phase of cooperation.

Dispatches Feb 2, 2026

To repair US-Colombia ties, Trump and Petro should focus on counternarcotics and Venezuela

By Kevin Whitaker

By focusing on shared interests on counternarcotics and Venezuela, Tuesday’s Oval Office meeting between the US and Colombian presidents can put the two nations’ bilateral relations on a better path.
Colombia Crisis Management

Events

Online Event Fri, June 20, 2025 • 6:30 am ET

Addressing China’s growing influence in Colombia
Colombia Economy & Business Geopolitics & Energy Security Latin America
Online Event Wed, March 26, 2025 • 7:00 am ET

Evaluating the US-Colombia commercial relationship
Colombia Economy & Business Latin America Trade and tariffs
Public Event Wed, November 20, 2024 • 10:45 am ET

Senator Ben Cardin reflects on his decades-long work to shape the Americas
Americas Colombia Corruption Economy & Business

Programs

The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center broadens understanding of regional transformations and delivers constructive, results-oriented solutions to inform how the public and private sectors can advance hemispheric prosperity.

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Voces de impacto episodes

Voces de impacto: Conversations with US and Colombian leaders and changemakers. Join the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center for dialogues that highlight traditionally underrepresented voices from across Colombian society.

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Content

Transcript

Dec 9, 2021

Colombia’s president: The US helped Colombia through COVID-19. Now it’s time for the next phase of cooperation.

By Atlantic Council

Duque listed opportunities for the United States to invest in Colombia and improve economic opportunity in the country—and Cardin and Blunt reiterated the United States’ willingness to continue its two-hundred-year partnership with Colombia.

Colombia Coronavirus

Report

Dec 8, 2021

A plan for Colombia’s COVID recovery and why it matters for the United States

By Atlantic Council US-Colombia Task Force

The continuity of Colombia’s prosperity and role as a key US partner depends, in part, on the country’s ability to swiftly recover from COVID-19. In 2020, lockdowns and mobility restrictions led to a major recession in Colombia, exacerbating unemployment, poverty, and pre-existing inequalities.

Americas Civil Society

Issue Brief

Jun 18, 2021

Colombia’s national strike: Overview of the situation and strategies moving forward

By Camila Hernandez, Jason Marczak

Amid the third peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colombia faces the longest and most destructive mass protests in recent history. The protests, which began on April 28, 2021, were triggered by a tax-reform bill proposed by the government to stabilize public debt and fiscal deficit. Despite the bill’s removal on May 2, 2021, protests continued […]

Americas Civil Society

New Atlanticist

Apr 30, 2021

Raising ambitions: How Latin America and the Caribbean is tackling the climate crisis

By Valentina Sader

The Americas are a crucial player in coordinated efforts to tackle global climate change, so we asked experts from the Atlantic Council and elsewhere to lay out what’s next.

Brazil Caribbean

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2021

How the US can help Colombia surmount dual crises

By Larry Luxner

On the eve of the two-hundredth anniversary of diplomatic ties between the United States and Colombia, there is “good momentum to strengthen the bilateral relationship,” says Colombian President Iván Duque.

Colombia Coronavirus

ACFrontPage

Mar 26, 2021

Transcript: After two centuries, the US-Colombia relationship is entering a ‘new chapter’

By Atlantic Council

Colombian President Iván Duque, US Senator Roy Blunt, and US Senator Benjamin Cardin reflected on the two-hundred-year US-Colombia relationship and discussed the United States' role in helping COVID-19 and migration strategies across Latin America.

Colombia Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Feb 19, 2021

Colombia is pioneering a new model for integrating migrants and refugees. Will it work?

By Camila Hernandez

Colombian President Iván Duque announced that he will grant temporary protection status to Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia. It is a herculean task, and the country will encounter two major challenges.

Colombia Latin America

Spotlight

Feb 11, 2021

Spotlight: 10 Questions for Latin America and the Caribbean

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

As February begins, we can now look ahead to the rest of the year with our annual predictions of what may or may not transpire in this unpredictable world.

Brazil Caribbean

In-Depth Research & Reports

Dec 7, 2020

El potencial de los yacimientos no convencionales en Colombia

By John D. Padilla

El informe, escrito por John D. Padilla, analiza los diversos temas globales y locales que repercutirán y determinarán si se puede llevar a cabo el desarrollo sostenible de los recursos de lutita en Colombia.

Colombia Energy & Environment

New Atlanticist

Nov 25, 2020

What a Biden presidency means for US-Colombia relations

By Camila Hernandez and Daniel Payares-Montoya

On repeated occasions, President-elect Biden has characterized Colombia as the “keystone” of US foreign policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean, maintaining that, if elected president, restoring the alliance between the United States and Colombia will be among his top foreign policy priorities.

Colombia Corruption
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Experts

Fellow

Geoff Ramsey

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Civil Society Colombia
Daniel Suarez Perez

Staff

Daniel Suárez Pérez

Research Associate, Latin America

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Colombia Conflict

Fellow

Santiago Villa

Nonresident Fellow

Global China Hub

Africa China

Advisory Council member

Carlos Vives

Grammy Award Singer and Songwriter

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Climate Change & Climate Action Colombia

Fellow

Kevin Whitaker

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Americas China

Fellow

Sebastian Zuleta

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Colombia Venezuela