Two key officials from the United States government are arriving in the region with an agenda that intertwines business and security, which are two central pillars of Donald Trump’s new security doctrine designed to prevent outside powers from establishing a presence in the hemisphere. Christopher Landau, US Deputy Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, is leading a tour from 19 to 26 October that encompasses Paraguay and Argentina, two significant locations within the regional alliance framework established by the MAGA leader. Landau serves as a senior US diplomat tasked with advancing US interests in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Following their appearance with Pablo Quirno in New York, where they formalised the Andes-Atlantic Corridor infrastructure agreement, the official is set to arrive in the Southern Cone with Juan Pablo Segura, an Argentine-born businessman who was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the region last August. The envoys from the Trump administration are set to commence their tour in Asunción, where Santiago Peña has positioned himself as a prominent advocate for the strategy of “containing Chinese interference,” a policy championed by officials and diplomats associated with the Trump administration.
The date of their arrival in Buenos Aires was announced through official Casa Rosada channels on Sunday: the Republican officials will meet Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno at the San Martín Palace in Buenos Aires at 2pm next Thursday. According to a State Department statement, Landau will meet with “senior Argentine government officials and private-sector leaders.” Landau is not anticipated to engage with President Javier Milei, who is scheduled to arrive in Spain on October 21, as stated by presidential spokesperson Adrián Ravier. While in Europe, Milei intends to further solidify connections with his conservative international allies in anticipation of the elections scheduled by Pedro Sánchez for November. Beyond the individual appointments, US officials intend to “build on the momentum” generated by the launch of the Andes-Atlantic Corridor between the United States and Argentina. They will seek “ways to drive economic growth, increase US investment and strengthen security cooperation.” with a particular focus on “narcoterrorism” as a “threat to countries’ sovereignty,” Segura said in an interview, days before setting off for the Southern Cone. “One of the strongest tools the United States has is economic power. We are seeing that in Argentina,” said Segura, the businessman and son of Argentine immigrants.
In Buenos Aires, the Andes-Atlantic Corridor serves as the focal point, an initiative that was unveiled on September 23 during the most recent United Nations General Assembly. Situated within the context of US strategic rivalry with China, the initiative outlines US investment in railroads, waterways, ports, oil pipelines, and energy infrastructure, centring on Vaca Muerta’s shale reserves and the mining sector. The visit occurs in the context of notably strong ties between Washington and the Casa Rosada, highlighted by another trip from Milei, who has recently returned from his second visit to the United States within a month. During a brief visit to the United States lasting only 36 hours, he was honoured with the US Chamber of Commerce’s “World Champion of Free Enterprise” award. Although he did not manage to obtain a photograph with Trump, he emphasised that he had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Argentina’s head of state also attended a gala organised by La Derecha Diario and the Heritage Foundation, the controversial think tank behind the so-called Project 2025, which envisions a “conservative revolution” in the United States and has connections to US Vice-President JD Vance.
Following the US midterm elections on November 5, Vance is set to embark on a trip to Argentina. It marks the inaugural visit by a US vice-president since Mike Pence’s journey in April 2017. The Casa Rosada has confirmed that it would be “a regional visit,” potentially taking place in the third week of November, according to reports that have yet to be verified by the White House. Meanwhile, the National Security Ministry announced on October 5 that the United States had approved US$13.35 million in funding and that a regional unit of the State Department’s anti-narcotics office would be established in Argentina, without providing further details about its operations. Of the total, US$7.5 million will be directed toward projects in Argentina, while the remaining funds will be designated for “regional initiatives”, thereby amplifying current cooperation tenfold. For Washington, all these actions constitute a cohesive strategy. Landau’s visits, as stated by the US State Department, “reflect the Trump administration’s commitment to a safe, secure and prosperous Western Hemisphere.”
