Colombia and the US: A Relationship on the Line?
Hello, friends of Project HOPE, I hope you're having a good weekend. I wanted to comment on something I've been thinking about, and it has to do with how fragile a country's economic stability can be when its relationship with a power like the United States begins to falter.
Sometimes we take certain things for granted, like that exports will continue to flow or that remittances will arrive without fail, but what would happen if suddenly that changes?
27% of Colombian exports go to the United States, and 53% of the remittances that many families receive come from there. If the relationship deteriorates and sanctions are imposed, the impact would be immediate and profound. I imagine thousands of people depending on money that no longer arrives, companies losing markets overnight, and the economy suffering in every corner of the country.
We live in a world where everything is connected, where a country's economy is not an island, but a web of relationships that, when broken, create a domino effect.
Sometimes we think that political decisions remain within the purview of governments, but the truth is that they end up affecting ordinary citizens—those waiting for a payment from their family member, those selling flowers, coffee, or textiles to an American buyer.
Perhaps some people think that other markets can be opened, that the world isn't reduced to a single nation. And yes, in theory it sounds feasible, but in practice, these changes take years, and in the meantime, what happens to those who depend on that trade relationship? The uncertainty is felt in our pockets, at the supermarket, in the cost of living.
It's inevitable to think about what's beyond our control and wonder how it will affect us. In the end, even if we try to stay away from politics and its ups and downs, the reality is that it reaches us one way or another. And when it comes to the economy, the consequences always end up knocking at the door.
