Relationship dossier
Colombia
United States
Relationship assessment
Longstanding security and trade partnership, with recurring disputes over counternarcotics policy and human rights.
Colombia toward United States
+55Colombia has cooperated with the United States on counternarcotics and security, including under Plan Colombia, and has maintained extradition cooperation. Colombia also entered into a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States, which took effect in 2012.
United States toward Colombia
+60The United States has provided Colombia with security and counternarcotics assistance, including through Plan Colombia, and designated it a major non-NATO ally in 2022. The two governments also established a bilateral free trade agreement that took effect in 2012.
Overall relationship
+60The relationship is anchored by sustained security cooperation and a bilateral trade agreement, with the United States playing a significant role in Colombian security assistance. These durable ties coexist with recurring friction over counternarcotics approaches, human rights, and trade policy.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Colombia and the United States have a longstanding security and economic partnership. Cooperation has included counternarcotics and security assistance, extradition, and a bilateral free trade agreement. The United States designated Colombia a major non-NATO ally in 2022. The relationship has also faced recurring disagreements over counternarcotics policy, human rights, and trade.
Areas of tension
- Disagreements over counternarcotics strategy, including coca cultivation and eradication.
- Human rights concerns related to security operations and assistance.
- Periodic trade and market-access disputes.
Key developments
Plan Colombia began as a bilateral security and counternarcotics initiative supported by substantial United States assistance.
The United States–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement entered into force.
The United States designated Colombia a major non-NATO ally.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of current security and counternarcotics cooperation are unclear.
- The effects of disagreements over drug policy and human rights on recent cooperation are unclear.