Evo i drugi primećuju isto ono što sam odmah rekao da će biti jedna od posledica preterano nasilnog Američkog stava:
But Trump may be miscalculating. Colombia is a tiny country, with one-sixth of our population and 1.5 percent of our GDP, that depends on the U.S. for one-third of its exports (mainly crude oil, coffee, and cut flowers). Trump will find he has less leverage—and the objects of his wrath have more freedom to maneuver—in future faceoffs.
Finally, Trump’s hardball approach may wind up being counterproductive. One lesson some leaders might take from the Colombia standoff is that when Trump tells them to jump, they should ask only how high. However, another lesson might be that they need to reduce their dependence on America.
Shannon O’Neil, Latin America specialist and director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, told me on Monday that many countries south of the border are “already searching for alternatives.” The Mercosur nations—Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay—signed an agreement with the EU. Mexico is bolstering its ties with the EU as well. China has long been making inroads in the region, including in Colombia. It has alienated many with its own hardball methods, roping them into trade arrangements that undercut their own local industries—but the experience with Colombia could spur the region’s leaders to turn away from Washington as well, and Beijing’s agents will now exploit this impulse with special enthusiasm.
Trump may soon learn that his brand of America First means America Alone, and that doesn’t help America at all.