Diplomacy by Executive Decree: Latin America’s Sudden Pivot to Israel

When Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced that Colombia would relocate its diplomatic mission to Jerusalem, he declared that Jerusalem was always the capital of one nation. Beyond the rhetoric, the announcement highlights a fundamental characteristic of Latin American statecraft: foreign policy is regularly rewritten by presidential decree.

For years, former Colombian President Gustavo Petro treated opposition to Israel as an ideological pillar. He halted coal exports, suspended military cooperation, and laid plans for a Palestinian embassy in Bogota. His successor, Abelardo de la Espriella, required only a few weeks in office to dismantle that framework. De la Espriella reinstated visa-free travel, reappointed ambassadors, recognized Israeli control over the Golan Heights, and committed to moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

This abrupt pivot is replicated across the region. A new bloc of conservative executives is systematically dismantling the policies of their predecessors. Rodrigo Paz restored diplomatic channels in Bolivia, ending years of freeze under Evo Morales and Luis Arce. In Chile, Jose Antonio Kast installed an ambassador who openly identifies as a Zionist, while Venezuela restored consular relations after nearly two decades of hostility under Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro. Honduras, under Nasry Asfura, swiftly followed suit.

The speed of these reversals exposes institutional weaknesses in Latin American governance. Strong presidential systems combined with politically fragile diplomatic corps mean international relations lack long-term structural anchors. Unlike in Washington, where institutional consensus creates relative continuity across administrations, Latin American diplomacy remains hostage to the ideological leanings of whoever holds the presidential palace.

Geopolitical calculus also plays a key role. Public support for Israel signals alignment with the administration of United States President Donald Trump. Regional defense initiatives like the Shield of the Americas counter-narcotics alliance allow these governments to recast drug enforcement through a counter-terrorism framing, securing valuable access to Israeli military technology and surveillance software such as Pegasus.

At home, religious demographics supply the necessary political incentives. In Brazil, where Senator Flavio Bolsonaro challenges President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a tense presidential campaign, the Evangelical Parliamentary Front holds over forty percent of seats in the lower house. Satisfying this growing voter base requires concrete displays of pro-Israel commitment. Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei leveraged his one million dollar Genesis Prize to create the Isaac Accords, entrenching these diplomatic ties through civil society funding and voting monitoring.

Whether these alignments survive depends entirely on the next electoral turn. For now, diplomatic loyalty to Jerusalem offers Latin American leaders a convenient path to domestic consolidation and favor in Washington.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com