Donald Trump has said he wants to take back the Panama Canal and annex Greenland and Canada. Crazy statements that perhaps should be taken seriously.
Donald Trump proved it during his first term: his declarations, which often provoke international ridicule, hide a real desire to act and have a powerful resonance within the population. We can take as an example the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The president-elect did not wait for his inauguration, which will take place on January 20, 2025, to outline his wishes in terms of foreign policy. However, it is still Joe Biden who is president.
The Panama Canal
Donald Trump then began talking about the annexation of three countries. First of all, Panama, and more specifically the Panama Canal. This canal, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, without passing through Cape Horn (under South America), was completed in 1914 by the United States, which had management until 1999, when it -this was attributed to Panama. This strategic channel for maritime trade allows Panama to generate significant revenues through tolls.
But for Donald Trump, this situation is unacceptable: “Our navy and our commerce have been treated in a very unfair and malicious manner. The fees charged by Panama are ridiculous and very unfair, especially when we know the extraordinary generosity that this country.” The president-elect also conveyed this message in his Christmas greetings, posted on his social network Truth: “Merry Christmas to everyone, including the wonderful Chinese soldiers who lovingly, but illegally, operate the Panama Canal.”
The “Chinese soldiers” he refers to are probably the Chinese companies present on both sides of the Panama Canal, strategic places in maritime trade. The president-elect took the opportunity to appoint a new ambassador from Panama, Kevin Marino Cabrera, who assured that he will work “tirelessly every day to uphold his (Donald Trump’s) bold approach to international diplomacy.”
However, the United States cannot decide to regain control of the Panama Canal. Although the billionaire believes that it is “a country that is ripping us off (…) far beyond their wildest dreams,” the United States and Panama are linked by treaties signed in 1977 by the American president of time, Jimmy Carter. In addition, a takeover of the canal by the United States would have consequences for international trade. If American ships paid lower tolls than others, it would lead to trade conflicts with the rest of the world.
Greenland
Donald Trump has never hidden his ambitions on Greenland. This land of ice which is at least four times the size of France is a source of phenomenal wealth coveted by the billionaire. Donald Trump has once again expressed his desire to buy the island.
According to him, “the people of Greenland, who the United States needs for its national security, want the United States to be there, and we will be there!” The United States already has an air and space base in Greenland, which was authorized in the middle of the Cold War by Denmark, Washington’s ally. Greenland is also geographically strategic, being located on the shortest route between America and Europe.
But this relentlessness of Donald Trump on Greenland, who had already made a similar offer in 2019, is enough to annoy the Danish government. “We are not for sale,” Greenland’s Prime Minister assured Monday. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced on Tuesday the considerable increase in defense spending for the island, equivalent to 1.5 billion euros, as reported West France.
Canada
Finally, Donald Trump is targeting Canada. Also in his Christmas message, he calls Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister, a “governor,” as there is in every state in the United States. He assures that “if Canada became our 51st state, their taxes would be reduced by more than 60%, their businesses would immediately double in size and they would be protected militarily like no other country in the world.”
It must be said that Donald Trump intends to pursue an ultra-protectionist policy, with a phenomenal increase in customs taxes, of up to 25%. If Canada were part of the United States, with which the country does the most trade, there would be no taxes.
But Donald Trump seems to forget that Canada is a country in its own right, which is part of the Commonwealth, led by King Charles III. In order to avoid an economic war with the United States, a delegation of Canadian ministers went to Florida (United States) on Thursday, December 26, to meet the president-elect’s team, reports France 24.