Colombian President Gustavo Petro has warned that US President Donald Trump is aiming to turn Latin American nations into colonies of the US. "If you read the first few paragraphs of the national security policy you will understand that the Monroe Doctrine aims to make sovereign Latin American nations colonies again," wrote Petro in a post on X. "That completely goes against international law. It's the same doctrine around living space that Hitler used, and it caused two world wars," he added. Trump on Sunday threatened military action against Colombia's government, telling reporters that such an operation "sounds good to me." "Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, in an apparent reference to President Petro. Asked directly whether the US would pursue a military operation against the country, Trump answered, "It sounds good to me." The comments came after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an audacious raid and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. Petro slammed the operation on Monday and, in a statement to Trump, said, "Come get me. I'm waiting for you here." "If they [the US] bombs, the campesinos will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the president which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the 'jaguar' of the people," he warned. Petro, who was a leftist guerrilla before demobilising in the 1990s, also said, "I swore not to touch a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again." In a separate post, Petro called on US voters to "help construct an international democratic order." "It doesn't matter what color, party or state these people are from, they need to act, world peace and the future of human existence are in danger," he added. — Agencies
