Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s diplomatic swing through South America is being framed by supporters as more than routine statecraft. Writing for American Thinker, Silvio Canto Jr. describes the trip as a moment when once-failing leftist governments in Latin America have turned right, begun to thrive, and emerged as reliable American partners. The piece, published September 12, 2026, credits both Rubio and President Trump for a realignment that reaches all the way to Colombia.
According to Canto, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru can now be counted as strong U.S. allies — not merely friends but partners in protecting American interests and making the region safer from cartels and Chinese influence. The author characterizes the alliances as products of mutual necessity rather than sentiment, echoing Rubio’s own insistence that hemispheric engagement is a matter of national security.
‘Not a rhetorical priority’
Canto quotes Rubio at length to make the case that the administration’s approach to the Western Hemisphere is structural, not ceremonial. In the quoted remarks, Rubio says the national security strategy he helped write identifies the hemisphere as a priority for the administration — “not a rhetorical priority, not a symbolic priority, not a ceremonial priority, a real priority.” He points to extensive travel in the region and to visiting leaders as evidence, adding that “geography is real” and that what happens in the hemisphere directly impacts the United States.
Rubio is also quoted saying the U.S. is “not doing anybody a favor” by engaging in the region and describing that involvement as “essential to our own security, to our own prosperity, to our own well-being.” He cites the Shield of the Americas as an initiative he is proud of and promises more such efforts across multiple areas of cooperation.
“For this administration, this hemisphere is a priority. And you will continue to see it demonstrated over and over and over again.” — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as quoted by American Thinker
Security, prosperity, and the middle class
Canto offers three explanations for why the leaders alongside Rubio have moved toward Washington. First, he writes, voters rejected the left and its demagoguery. Second, they want peace in their streets — something he compares to the situation in El Salvador, arguing that streets grow peaceful when criminal gangs are locked up. Third, a growing middle class in Latin America wants strong economic ties with the United States. Taken together, these factors produce what the author calls remarkable scenes: a U.S. secretary of state standing next to three leaders who defeated leftists and joined forces with the U.S.
The column places Rubio’s trip within a broader doctrine, arguing that while domestic political debate in the U.S. fixates on midterms and other matters, the secretary of state is implementing the Trump Doctrine in the neighborhood. Canto closes with an approving nod to Monroe — a reference to the Monroe Doctrine — suggesting the historical framework of hemispheric influence is enjoying a revival.
What the argument leaves open
As an opinion piece, Canto’s column does not attempt a neutral survey of the region. It does not name which specific leaders Rubio appeared beside, nor does it detail the substance of the Shield of the Americas or the joint initiatives it mentions. It does not address critics who might question whether the shift is durable, or whether economic and security cooperation will outlast the current governments. Those are matters the piece leaves to readers to weigh.
What the column does make clear is the political logic it attributes to the administration: hemispheric engagement is presented not as charity but as self-interest, and the alliances are cast as a direct response to voter demands for security and prosperity. Whether that framing holds up will depend on what Rubio’s promised “more initiatives” actually deliver — and on whether the rightward turn in Latin America proves as lasting as the author expects.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/09/marco-s-big-trip/