In recent weeks, and in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, the inconsistency and ineffectiveness of Colombian foreign policy has been revealed. A few days ago, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights released its annual report. In it, Colombia was badly stopped, since it was clear that the security situation in the country was deteriorating. It should not be forgotten that security was the main flag of the current president during the 2018 political campaign. The result, after 18 months in office, is an incredible deterioration. The Colombian Government accused the UN of undue interference in national sovereignty.
Days later, the report of the rapporteur for human rights defenders of the United Nations, Michel Forst, came out. There, it was clear that Colombia is the country in the region where social leaders are most assassinated. Furthermore, it showed that impunity levels are particularly high. Again, the Colombian Government made a great scandal. But the most complicated thing became known hours after the document was published: Mr. Michel Forst was not allowed to return to the country in 2019 to finish his report, his first visit was in late 2018. Although the rapporteur sought to be invited, always the Colombian executive avoided that request. This type of behavior is only carried out by governments with weak or openly authoritarian democracies.
Hours after these two government reactions to the two reports on human rights, President Iván Duque met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres. There, the president tried to ease tension and announced a cooperation agreement with the United Nations. All of this happened in a few days. The diplomatic world in Colombia says they do not understand anything. In fact, they described Colombian foreign policy as chaotic and erratic.
But the cherry on the cake came in the last hours. President Iván Duque announced the closure of the border between Colombia and Venezuela. Hours later there was a real humanitarian crisis, hundreds of people passed through the trails or illegal roads. The border between the two countries has a length of just over 2,200 kilometers, there are more than 150 trails, all of them controlled by the 28 illegal armed structures that are in the border area. Every time the legal border bridges are closed, there is an economic bonanza for these structures, as the charge per person who wants to pass increases. In such a way that the closure will not contain the Covid-19. The only way to contain it is by guaranteeing coordination between both States or at least between the health authorities of both States. Even so, and despite a possible crisis, the Colombian Government continues to speak of an interim president, Juan Guaidó, who does not exist in real life.
All of Colombia's foreign policy revolves around Venezuela, in support of an interim president who does not control anything, while the border is in real chaos. In the past, in the days of Álvaro Uribe, it was common to see these vehement attacks on the international community, but the current circumstances were never reached. In addition, at that time, Uribe had 80% approval, currently Duque is around 23%. In other words, there is great international ridicule and an internal political crisis.
In the end, it can be said that Colombia's foreign policy is a great fiasco. It lacks a dose of realism, a common horizon and especially someone who leads it. It seems that domestic policy governs everything and the radical wing of the ruling party controls the Foreign Ministry. It is not thought with criteria of State but of partisan revenge.
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