BOGOTA, COLOMBIA â The geopolitical shockwaves from the capture of NicolĂĄs Maduro have reached Colombia, where President Gustavo Petro has decided that the best defense is a loud offense. Following subtle but unmistakable signals from the Trump White House that Petroâa former guerilla with alleged ties to illicit financingâcould be the next target in the regional âcleanup,â the Colombian leader issued a stunning challenge.
The Threat and The Response Sources in Washington indicated that with Maduro gone, the U.S. is turning its gaze to Bogota. Feeling the heat, Petro took to the stage not to negotiate, but to taunt.

The âOrange Uniformâ Fear Petroâs specific reference to the âorange uniformâ (the standard U.S. federal prison jumpsuit) betrays a deep anxiety. It suggests he knows that an indictment is not just possible, but likely. However, unlike Maduro who hid, Petro is daring the U.S. to act, gambling that the logistical nightmare of extracting a sitting President from a U.S. ally would be too high.
âThe Streets Will Defend Meâ Petro is banking on âpeople powerâ as his iron dome. âThe Colombian people will take to the streets to defend me,â he warned. âYou will not arrest a President; you will have to fight a people.â

By threatening to unleash chaos and turn Bogota into a fortress of civil unrest, Petro is trying to make himself âtoo big to jail.â But as Donald Trump proved with Maduro, no fortress is impenetrable when the order is given. The question now is not
if Trump will accept the challenge, but when.
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