2
0
The question on everyone’s lips is as follows: “Has President-Elect Trump lost his mind?” While we cannot answer that, what we can deduce is that his intentions of a 51st Canadian state, of renaming the Gulf of Mexico after the USA, and of acquiring both Greenland and the Panama Canal as US territories, are all clear evidence of his growing internal insecurities and a desire to counter the rise of China.
Speaking in Florida on January 7th, Trump spoke of his intention to use economic force to make Canada a 51st US state, wanting to create a vast territory that would provide greater security as well as a wealth of natural resources. He also suggested renaming the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gulf of America”, an act driving forward the ‘America First‘ approach pushed in his presidential campaign, as well as demonstrating with some clarity his desire to maintain US power and prestige. Both suggestions appear absurd at first, and have been dismissed by international leaders and the media alike. However, hiding behind this wall of lunacy are some evident insecurities; most prominently the looming threat of China. Trump’s suggestions, while nonetheless bizarre, are an attempt to halt China’s march towards world hegemony. His arguably imperial ambitions really seek to prevent China overtaking the US’ pole position and creating a world order in their image, rather than America’s.
Most significantly, he discussed his intentions to acquire the Panama Canal and Greenland as US territories from their respective current owners. He did not rule out military force to accomplish this, believing both places to be of vital geopolitical importance for America. Trump labelled the Panama Canal as “critical” for both national and economic security, being the most significant part of a prominent global trade route. Trump not only asserts the Canal was initially built for the US military and is being operated by China but that America is being overcharged– claims strongly denied by Panama, who gained ownership of the Canal in 1999.
Greenland, on the other hand, is a point of contention for both the USA and Greenlanders, who, in 2009, gained the right to vote for their own independence. But why is the President-elect for the most powerful country in the world so concerned about a snow-covered island whose 56,000 inhabitants are already considered EU citizens? Just as other US administrations had tried purchase the island several times prior, this is not the first time he has expressed a desire to control the territory, having offered to buy Greenland in his first term.
The USA already has Pituffik, a space military base on the island, and therefore Greenland would aid them geo-strategically in tracking Russian and Chinese ships and protecting what Trump has called “the free world”. Economically, Greenland would be a viable asset too. It is rich in rare earth minerals that are incredibly useful to the technology industry and would therefore give Silicon Valley a material advantage over emerging Chinese technologies. Global warming melting the ice is also starting to increase the utility of Greenland for water trade, forming the quickest route between North America and Europe. This could be a strategic move by Trump. His inward ‘America First’ policy will remove attention from international organisations, giving China an opportunity to move in, gain power and spread their norms. Control over Greenland and the Panama Canal would at least give Trump leverage over major economic waterways. It would also boost their technological prowess while simultaneously preventing China from accessing a wealth of resources.
Given Trump’s clear intentions to take a hard-line stance on China, including proposing 60% tariffs on imports, it is not implausible that the ludicrousness of his most recent proposals are a reflection of internal vulnerabilities to the threat of Xi Jinping’s rising powerhouse. Nevertheless, if Trump is to continue as he is, tensions with his Western allies may rise.
European leaders have been very quick to dismiss the idea of Greenland being for sale, and have also disagreed with Trump’s request for defence spending to be increased to 5% of GDP. The highest European defence spend was by Poland at 4.12% in 2024, aiming for 4.7% this year, with most major EU nations somewhere in the 2-3% margin. Therefore this is a figure that would really strain most budgets. Some are even calling his requests performative and designed to fail, suggesting there are most definitely tensions already brewing.
In his attempts to ward off China’s march for world power, could Trump end up creating a difficult situation for himself closer to home? Laughable at first, his recent propositions all lead back to a feeling of vulnerability, a worry that the USA is simply not yet strong enough to withstand the Chinese threat. He seems resolute on gaining strategic advantages over China, even if his moves to do so hinder his Western allies. If he isn’t careful, Trump could be cutting America off not only from China, but from long-term friends too.
Image: For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the world, the US feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity, US President-elect Donald Trump said. (AP pic), FMT, 2024 // CC BY 4.0
Average Rating