In the Americas, a certain type of president is currently in vogue: those who show little interest in their nationality and are proud to belong to other histories and everyday lives. History is built with peoples and communities, and everyday life is experienced firsthand, day by day.
We have the examples of Daniel Noboa (Ecuador) and, a few years ago, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (Peru), the latter of whom was forced to renounce his U.S. citizenship. In the past, future leaders were required to spend time in the United States completing the necessary coursework. We should question what we understand by nationality, what it means to be part of a territorially defined political community that strives to build a shared future and has an identity rooted in history, language, and culture.
People seek another nationality because their origins are obscured, or because they prefer to travel the world rather than fight alongside their community in their daily lives. That’s why Ana Lucía Pineda, the wife of Tigre De la Espriella, speaks candidly when she says (in Florence, Italy): “We live wonderfully, we work together, our children are here, we’re in another country. If we want, we’ll go back to Colombia, if not, we won’t… If we lose, it doesn’t matter, because we already have our lives sorted.” Others soften the blow when they say: “Colombian law doesn’t prohibit the President from having another nationality.”
Even if he were Italian by adoption and we were living in the time of the Roman Empire, we wouldn’t say the same. Fortunately, the pressure won’t come from that side, because Caligula is no longer on the scene, nor does he brandish the Pax Romana. Today it’s the Pax of Trump, who has revived the most brutal colonialism through threats, missiles, and military interventions.
It’s not that Petro underestimates U.S. laws; he abides by them. When he applied for U.S. citizenship, he swore an oath to renounce his loyalty to Colombia and pledged to uphold U.S. law. For him, that’s the point: if he were to win, we would have a “foreign president,” and the country would become a “protectorate,” just like Trump’s plans for the continent and beyond.
ADDENDUM: On his trip to the U.S., Petro didn’t bring his megaphone; he replaced it with a “Diogenes lamp.” It seems he was looking for his “friend Trump,” who has him completely entangled.