François Picard is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Dickinson, Deputy Director for Latin America at the International Crisis Group. She offers a nuanced, clear-eyed perspective on the shifting dynamics between the United States and Colombia. Through the lens of US domestic politics, Colombia’s internal electoral cycle and the regional impact of counternarcotics policy, Ms. Dickinson underscores how spectacle and substance often coexist. This Tuesday sees US President Donald Trump host his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro at the White House. While headline-grabbing rhetoric draws public attention, the deeper currents of security cooperation, strategic alignment and mutual interest remain remarkably stable, even in the midst of stormy weather.  For Ms. Dickinson, “a successful outcome of this meeting would simply be that it’s a bit boring: a return to the quiet, hard work these two countries have carried out together for decades.” She argues “that cooperation never ceased, not during the Trump administration nor Petro’s, despite disagreements over the details.” Source link