As the country chooses among potential allies, these suitors have been particularly absent in offering support or vaccines.

The fact that it took a U.S. Secretary of State 45 years to visit Suriname, which gained independence in 1975, was disappointing to many Surinamese. Pompeo’s rant about Chinese influence has only further alienated them, as many people are grateful for the Chinese investments.

Desiré Bouterse–Interpol fugitive, drug trafficker, convicted murderer–has been the protagonist of Suriname’s political history for four decades. In May 2020, the Surinamese people finally voted him out