As the United States continues to escalate diplomatic and military pressure on Russia and China for supposed foreign meddling worldwide, evidence from Latin America exposes their double standard. Historically perceived by the United States as their “backyard” — or their “front yard,” as Joe Biden has more recently suggested — Latin America is now a chess piece in the “new Cold War.”

Earlier this week, influential US Congress members proposed a new bill titled the Western Hemisphere Strategic Security Act with the view to increase military cooperation with friendly Latin American nations. This, according to US politicians, will help to address the threat of Chinese and Russian interference in the region.

But while China and Russia are indeed deepening diplomatic and trade relations across Latin America, it is the United States whose history of undemocratic meddling continues through to the present. In a recent document circulating out of the US embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, promises are made of large- and small-scale grants to local organizations that promote affinity to the US government’s political stance.