Colombia's Constitutional Court issued an important decision last week which sent Colombia's new administration back to the drawing board to secure approval for a U.S.-Colombian military base agreement. The decision effectively struck down the contentious agreement, chastising the Colombian executive for having failed to get approval from Colombia's Congress, and requiring them now to seek congressional endorsement before moving forward.
The decision marked another blow for the way in which the United States negotiated this agreement, which set off shock waves in Latin America as it appeared to solidify the U.S.-Colombian military partnership at the expense of cooperative, peaceful relations with the rest of the region, particularly Colombia's neighbors. The United States has sought to downplay the importance of the accord and reassure Colombia's neighbors. It would be wise for the U.S. government to take this Constitutional Court decision to heart.
Read all the details about this decision in Adam Isacson’s post “Colombian court strikes down U.S. defense agreement” on the Just the Facts blog.
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