We want their Dinosaur juice (can't use plutonium tainted petrol), plus the strategic position geographically is nearly as important as Columbia since we lost control of Panama. We need to maintain control of the flow between Atlantic and Pacifc at that bottleneck if we, as a Nation, expect to ensure that we aren't attacked from both coasts at once. Without friendly nation status, we stand the risk of having our Navy blown out of the Atlantic by a fleet of MIGs while the Chinese scoot through the Canal on their way to cornhole the Colonies.
The United States is (was) a Great Nation because of the many smaller countries that we have helped and are (were) standing on the shoulders of. Since the Coming of the Terrorist Regime, we have alienated a large percentage of these smaller countries, especially with our policy of economic imperialism that has left the indiginous populations impoverished to feed our gluttonious appetite for luxury. It is natural that they will feel resentment and anger at the large and easy target of the USA, and fall into a sense of patriotism behind a leader who spouts the platitudes and rhetoric of 'Power to the People', even though without the trade agreements and US/UN loans, the entire banana box would shrivel into third world status.
None of this will stop the other 'SuperPowers' from taking advantge of this political climate and strategic opportunity. Weapons will be sold, alliances formed, and bit by bit we will either lose our grasp on a continent we have always thought of as 'America's Pantry', or have to take a firm and militaristic grip on the dissenters. One of the disadvantages of losing diplomatic relations is that you become obligated to invade, enslave, or otherwise occupy the countries through hostile means. Very bad in the eyes of the World.
Good Part: The Smurfs (UN) are mostly a harmless annoyance without teeth.
Bad Part: Their Keepers aren't, and will likely have sympathy from over 2/3rds of the planet.
