New York14 Latin American nations declared cartels foreign terrorist organizations.

The designation opens a legal path to U.S. military strikes on cartel territory.

The declaration invoked the 1947 Rio Treaty, under which Colombia and four other nations already host U.S. joint operations.

Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba were not invited to join the 19-nation coalition.

Colombia is set to borrow three U.S. Reaper drones and receive $1 billion in new security aid.

How each outlet framed it
Responsible Statecraft
maps coalition divisions excluding left-leaning governments, invokes Rio Treaty enabling US military anti-cartel intervention

Sources: Responsible Statecraft