Last week, de la Espriella appeared at a rally in Medellin behind bulletproof glass.He and Valencia have expressed a desire to restore Colombia's close security alliance with the US, which has come under strain under Petro and Trump.Cepeda has insisted, just as Petro did, that Colombia should not be a "vassal state" to the US - though observers have noted that the two nations' historic anti-drugs co-operation has continued during even the most heated disputes.The capture by US forces of Venezuela's former President Nicolás Maduro in January has left Petro one of the region's few remaining left-wing leaders not ideologically aligned with the Trump administration.Both Trump and Petro have indicated that they thought a US military intervention in Colombia was possible, after the US president revived the Monroe Doctrine, that the US should be the sole arbiter when it came to the Western hemisphere.However, Trump has since turned his attention to Cuba and has openly discussed toppling the Communist regime there, which he has described as "ready to fall". Trump is putting pressure on Cuba - why and to what end?Colombia sees 'real threat' of US military action, president tells BBCDrugs tradeEcuadorColombia
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