Speaking in Santa Marta, Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivered a forceful address in which he argued that democracy has collapsed worldwide and that what he called a new form of “barbarity” is shaping global power relations.

His warnings came at a moment of heightened regional tension, with Washington expanding military deployments in the Caribbean  and several Latin American governments accusing the United States of masking interventionist ambitions behind anti-drug operations.

His remarks were delivered during the CELAC–EU events and the III Social Summit of Latin American and Caribbean Peoples, gatherings that themselves came under unusual diplomatic pressure. Petro used the platform to sharply criticize Western governments and the global economic order, insisting that prevailing systems now prioritize profit, extraction, and coercion over human life.

“Democracy has died in the world. What reigns is barbarity (...) they refuse to abandon oil, coal, and gas, because they prefer to increase the rate of profit rather than save humanity,” he said, linking environmental destruction to what he described as a broader global shift toward authoritarian impulses.

Deadly Inequity

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Petro also directed pointed accusations at US President Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio, calling them “liars” and accusing them of legitimizing violent actions against poor communities under false narratives about the drug war. 

He referenced the death of Alejandro Carranza, a fisherman from Santa Marta who was killed after being struck by a missile while at sea, describing the incident as an unjustifiable act rooted in global inequality. “Whether he was carrying fish or cocaine, he did not have the death penalty. They had no reason to kill him,” Petro said. The case, widely discussed in Colombia, has intensified scrutiny of US anti-drug tactics and their deadly consequences for civilians far removed from cartel leadership.

Attempted Sabotage

The Colombian president further said that outside efforts were made to obstruct the CELAC–EU summit in Santa Marta. According to him, “they tried to sabotage these meetings; they told the prime ministers of the Caribbean islands not to come, to leave me alone, and also told the presidents of the continental Latin American republics not to come.”

His accusations come amid broader disputes over Washington’s role in the region. Days earlier, Venezuela condemned US naval drills with Trinidad and Tobago as a “military provocation,” while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva warned that a US ground operation in Venezuela would be catastrophic for regional stability. Petro’s warning about attempted political isolation therefore fits into a mounting debate over sovereignty, intervention, and geopolitical pressure in Latin America.

He argued that the attempts to deter attendance formed part of a wider strategy aimed at weakening regional unity at a time when countries in the Global South are increasingly vocal about genocide in Gaza and the concentration of global power. Petro linked this dynamic to the crisis of capitalism, a system that “prefers to increase its profits rather than preserve life on the planet.”

Despite political pressure, Petro hailed the attendance of delegations from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe as a sign that the region is pushing back against external interference. He also noted that the recent UN General Assembly vote in favor of Palestine, supported by most NATO members under public pressure, revealed a shift in global opinion. “Colombia does not allow itself to be humiliated,” he said, “because this is also the homeland of the Liberator Bolívar.”

Read more: 'With Revolutionary Love': Petro packs humanitarian aid for Gaza