President-elect Donald J. Trump on Tuesday announced plans to use military or economic coercion to force Panama to relinquish control of the canal built by the United States more than 100 years ago and to force Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States. He refused to rule out the possibility.
During a rambling, hour-long news conference, Trump repeatedly returned to the theme of American sacrifice in building the canal and falsely accused China of continuing to operate the canal today. Asked whether he would order the military to force Panama to abandon Panama in violation of treaties and other agreements signed during the Carter administration, or whether he might issue a similar order to Greenland. , he answered, “No, you can’t.” We cannot guarantee either of these two. ”
“We need them for economic security. The Panama Canal was built for our military,” he said. Asked again if he would rule out the use of military force, he said: I might have to do something. ”
Trump’s comments advance his repeated calls for new levels of U.S. territorial expansion and are sure to upset three U.S. allies, Panama and Panama. Denmark is in charge of Greenland’s foreign and security issues. And Canada, which he derided as America’s “51st state.” But on Tuesday, he clarified that he was not kidding, suggesting that the economic costs to Canada’s trade relationship with the United States could be devastating if it remains a sovereign nation.
Perhaps Mr. Trump was showing an attitude that would give him an advantage in negotiations. But not since the days of William McKinley, who engaged in the Spanish-American War in the late 19th century and ultimately brought the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico under U.S. control, has an incoming U.S. president so blatantly threatened the use of force. That never happened. Expanding the territorial boundaries of a country.
It reminded us that Trump’s definition of “America First” is by no means isolationist. He approaches American foreign policy with the mindset of a real estate developer, interested in acquiring territory.
He insisted he would not be daunted by the 1978 agreement with Panama, which the Senate ratified by a vote of 68-32, just over the two-thirds mandated by the Constitution. He argued that returning control of the canal to Panama was a bad idea and was reluctant to do so while the country was burying former President Jimmy Carter, who negotiated the deal. did. Afterward, he repeatedly criticized Carter’s judgment.
“He was such a great guy,” Trump said. “But that was a big mistake,” he added. “This cost the equivalent of $1 trillion.”
Regarding Canada, Mr. Trump threatened to use “economic might” rather than the military to bring Canada and the United States together if pursued, and hinted that the United States would cut back on purchases of Canadian products.
He declared that he would use the tariffs to hinder Canada’s ability to assemble and sell cars in the United States and accused Canada of not contributing enough to the United States’ defense. He did not mention NORAD, the joint U.S.-Canada defense effort that is considered a military model for an interoperable joint military early warning system operated equally by the two allies. It is the core of America’s air and missile defenses.
He remained active Tuesday night, posting a map on social media showing Canada as part of the United States.
The prime minister also told reporters that if he didn’t cede Greenland to the United States, he would “impose very high tariffs on Denmark,” before questioning whether Denmark had a legitimate claim to Greenland at all. said.
The threat, vague and unspecified as it may have been, was just one of a series of declarations Trump has made about his plans when he takes office in less than two weeks. He said the Gulf of Mexico would be renamed the “Gulf of America,” but it was unclear how serious he was about that effort.
He declared that NATO members, which have lagged behind in meeting their commitment to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defence, should now prepare for a world in which they will need to spend 5%.
“Any country can pay, but it should be 5%, not 2%,” he said, again threatening not to defend NATO allies who, in his view, do not pay enough for the NATO system. Mr. Putin has used such threats in the past to sow divisions within NATO, which has been reluctant to confront it directly despite helping provide arms to Ukraine. .
Trump’s criticism of NATO is not isolated. Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Biden have all pursued this, and the fact that the most progress toward achieving the 2% goal has been made during Mr. Biden’s term in office is notable. be. The 75th anniversary of the alliance was celebrated at the NATO summit in Washington in July.
And some European leaders, speaking privately, say the target should be raised to 3% if Europe has any hope of marshaling military power to deter Russia in the coming decades. Some people say they agree with something. They often add that there is no political constituency to support that level of spending.
But they may be forced there if they are convinced that the United States will not come to their aid. “I wanted to say, we’ll protect you even if you don’t pay us, but life doesn’t work that way,” Trump told reporters.
Trump also repeated his threat four times that “hell will break out in the Middle East” if hostages held by Hamas are not released by Inauguration Day.
However, what was most impressive at the press conference was Trump’s views on U.S. territorial expansionism, which had nothing to do with international law.
In December, when Trump stepped up his calls to buy Greenland and complained about the treatment of U.S. ships transiting the Panama Canal, Eurasia Group’s Ian Bremer said Trump’s claims had no resonance. He pointed out that there is. On Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s justification for invading Ukraine.
But when you piece together a series of Trump’s social media posts on these issues and listen to his complaints at his Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida, one thing is clear. That is why Trump is filing a national security lawsuit over the US takeover of Greenland. Panama Canal Zone is necessary.
He noted on Tuesday that Chinese and Russian ships have been appearing around Greenland, as global warming has loosened and shrunk ice fields, making them navigable. He pointed out that this clearly shows the growing interest of each country in military routes. He argued that China, which controls two ports near the canal, operates the canal itself. it’s not.
Bremer’s post to “American imperialism is back in full force.”
Indeed, it often sounded like that at press conferences, as Mr. Trump rejected the Danish leadership’s declaration that Greenland was not for sale, as well as similar comments from Panama. The only question now is whether he’s ramping up the pressure for negotiating purposes or whether he actually intends to use his threats to his advantage.
