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The Republic of Peru and United States of America (USA) established relations following Peru's independence from Spain in 1826. In the twenty-first century the two countries have become close partners, collaborating in trade with a free trade agreement and in limiting the trafficking of narcotics into the United States.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) meets with Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra (right) in Lima, April 2019
Nineteenth century
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Twentieth century
Through the Cold War, the United States focused its foreign policy of promoting anti-communism in Peru instead of assisting with democratic efforts.[1]
During the administration of Ronald Reagan, Peru felt ignored by the U.S. government.[1] When President Fernando Belaunde Terry visited President Reagan in Washington in 1983, Reagan met with the Peruvian president for only thirty minutes, with one of Reagan's aides saying "[President Belaunde] wasn't even offered a cup of tea".[1]
Relations reached their lowest point during the United States invasion of Panama of 1989 when Peru recalled its ambassador in protest of American military actions.[2][3] However, relations were restored[when?] and have recovered and vastly expanded in the decades since.
Though the American government had originally expressed strong support for his government, relations were strained following the tainted reelection of former PresidentAlberto Fujimori in June 2000.
After the abrupt ending to Fujimori's third term and the installation of an interim government in November 2000, relations improved. Relations remained positive during the administration of Alejandro Toledo who took office in July 2001, and during that of Alan García.
In 2002, nine people died when a car bomb detonated by suspected rebels in the Peruvian capital just days before a visit from American President George W. Bush.
The U.S. and Peruvian governments criticized North Korea's 2006 nuclear test. Peru urged North Korea to unconditionally return to the six-party talks and to suspend all activity related to its nuclear program.
In 2007, Peruvian Foreign Minister José Antonio García Belaúnde said that his country opposed America's occupation of Iraq, and called for the immediate withdrawal of US military forces from the country, noting that the Iraqi situation was very complex and that the invasion had been a mistake.
In reaction to the Libyan Civil War, Peru became the first country to cut ties with Libya "until the violence against the people ceases" as a result of the aerial bombing of Tripoli.
Upon the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011, Garcia credited the death of bin Laden to late and recently beatified PopeJohn Paul II, saying, "His first miracle was to remove from the world the incarnation of evil, the demonic incarnation of crime and hatred..." He also said that bin Laden's death "vindicates George W. Bush's decision to punish Bin Laden and patiently continue this work that has borne fruit".[17]
In 2012, the Cuzco Consulate assisted a group of American backpackers who were attacked by Peruvian villagers who suspected the group were "cattle rustlers".[18]
Peru's Deputy Foreign Minister José Beraún Araníbar condemned "the excesses committed by the government of Syria" in a 2012 interview, stressing that Peru saw a political dialogue as the only viable means of peace enforcement and supported a joint UN/Arab League initiative to this effect, indicating Peru would not likely support a U.S. intervention.[19]
In June 2013, Peruvian President Ollanta Humala visited the White House and together with U.S. President Barack Obama promised to strengthen ties between both nations, including in the fight against narcotics trafficking and in tightening economic ties.[20]
The US government condemned Pedro Castillo's attempted self-coup in December 2022 and welcomed the appointment of Dina Boluarte as president.[21][22] Castillo eventually alleged that the United States aided his removal.[23][24][25] The US also initially supported Boluarte amidst civil unrest against her government and allegations of authoritarianism.[26] Relations have deteriorated under the government of her after the U.S condemned Peru for human rights violations.[27] 15 Democratic members of Congress also condemned the Peruvian government, expressing concern over the 'authoritarian' practices Congress of the Republic.[28] Relations were further complicated after President Joe Biden was widely criticized for describing Boluarte's government as democratic, while democratic backsliding has reportedly hit an all time high in Peru.[29][30][31]
In November 2024, President Joe Biden traveled to Peru to attend the APEC Summit held in Lima.[32]
Resident diplomatic missions
Diplomatic missions of Peru in the United States[33]
U.S. investment and tourism in Peru have grown substantially in recent years. The U.S. is Peru's number one trade partner, and economic and commercial ties will deepen if the U.S.–Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) is passed by the U.S. Congress. About 200,000 U.S. citizens visit Peru annually for business, tourism, and study. About 16,000 Americans reside in Peru, and more than 400 U.S. companies are represented in the country.
The United States and Peru cooperate on efforts to interdict the flow of narcotics, particularly cocaine, to the United States. Bilateral programs are now in effect to reduce the flow of drugs through Peru's port systems and to perform ground interdiction in tandem with successful law enforcement operations. These U.S. Government-supported law enforcement efforts are complemented by an aggressive effort to establish an alternative development program for coca farmers in key coca growing areas to voluntarily reduce and eliminate coca cultivation. This effort is funded by the Department of State'sBureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Military
Peru remains part of SICOFAA (whose creation was proposed by the Peruvian Air Force in 1964) and the Rio Pact, requiring it and the U.S. to assist each other in case of attack, and continues to be a regular participant in RIMPAC, an international maritime military exercise led by the U.S. to promote stability throughout the Pacific in the event of potential conflicts ranging from China invading Taiwan or North Korean aggression against its neighbors.
^McClintock, Cynthia; Vallas, Fabián (2005). La democracia negociada: las relaciones Perú-Estados Unidos (1980-2000). Instituto de Estudios peruanos. p. 117. ISBN9972511251.
^"Spymaster". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. August 2002. Retrieved 29 March 2023. Lester: Though few questioned it , Montesinos was a novel choice. Peru's army had banished him for selling secrets to America's CIA, but he'd prospered as a defence lawyer – for accused drug traffickers. ... Lester: Did Fujmori control Montesinos or did Montesinos control Fujimori? ... Shifter: As information comes out, it seems increasingly clear that Montesinos was the power in Peru.
^Hall, Kevin G. (3 August 2001). "CIA Paid Millions to Montesinos". The Miami Herald. Miami. p. 1.
^Alfredo Schulte-Bockholt (2006). "Chapter 5: Elites, Cocaine, and Power in Colombia and Peru". The politics of organized crime and the organized crime of politics: a study in criminal power. Lexington Books. pp. 114–118. ISBN978-0-7391-1358-5. important members of the officer corps, particularly within the army, had been contemplating a military coup and the establishment of an authoritarian regime, or a so-called directed democracy. The project was known as 'Plan Verde', the Green Plan. ... Fujimori essentially adopted the Green Plan and the military became a partner in the regime. ... The self-coup, of April 5, 1992, dissolved the Congress and the country's constitution and allowed for the implementation of the most important components of the Green Plan
Brands, Hal. "The United States and the Peruvian Challenge, 1968–1975." Diplomacy & Statecraft 21.3 (2010): 471–490. online
Carey,James. Peru and the United States, 1900-1962 (U of Notre Dame Press, 1964).
Clayton, Lawrence. Peru and the United States: The Condor and the Eagle" ( U of Georgia Press, 1999).
De Ferrari, Gabriella. Gringa Latina: A Woman of Two Worlds (Houghton Mifflin, 1996).
Jasper, M. L. and C. R. Seelke. "Peru: Political Situation, Economic Conditions and U. S. Relations" (US Congressional Research Service, January 15, 2008) online
Kofas, Jon V. Foreign Debt and Underdevelopment: U.S.-Peruvian Economic Relations (University Press of America, 1996).
McClintock, Cynthia, and Fabián Valias. The United States and Peru: Cooperation at a Cost (Routledge, 2018).
McClintock, Cynthia, and Fabian Vallas. "The United States and Peru in the 2000s." in Contemporary US-Latin American Relations (Routledge, 2010) pp. 217-237.
Olson, Richard Stuart. “Economic Coercion in International Disputes: The United States and Peru in the IPC Expropriation Dispute of 1968-1971.” Journal of Developing Areas 9#3 (1975): 395–414.
Packel, John. "Peruvian Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2014), pp. 467–476. online
Paerregaard, Karsten. “Inside the Hispanic Melting Pot: Negotiating National and Multicultural Identities among Peruvians in the United States.” Latino Studies 3 (2005): 76–96.
Pike, Frederick. The United States and the Andean Republics: Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador (Harvard UP, 1977).
Roberts, Lauren. "Comparing Theoretical Explanations Regarding United States Decision-Making on Regime Change in Peru and in Chile from 1968 to 1973." (2021).online
Sharp, Daniel. U.S. Foreign Policy and Peru (U of Texas Press, 1972).
Stephenson, Hollie E. "The Pinnacle of United States-Peru Relations: A Survey of the Motivations for and the Ratification Process of the United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement." (PhD Diss. Johns Hopkins University, 2008) online, with long bibliography
Taft–Morales, Maureen. Peru: Current Conditions and U.S. Relations (US Congressional Research Service, July 21, 2009) online
Walter, Richard. Peru and the United States, 1960-1975: How their Ambassadors Managed Foreign Relations in a Turbulent Era (Pennsylvania State UP, 2010)
Wordliczek, Rafał. "USAID, Foreign Military Financing, and Total Assistance USAID." Americana 11#2 (2015) online
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