President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly
joked about Canada beating out both Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to become the 51st state. It’s clear, however, he has a mind to taking territory besides that hugging the 49th parallel.
Adopting a more serious tone over the weekend, Trump suggested the possibility of taking over the Panama Canal and expressed a renewed interest in acquiring Greenland.
Trump’s comments, particularly those about Panama — which he followed up with an image of an American flag hoisted above the canal — have caused quite a stir. While some supporters at home celebrated the apparent revival of the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, foreign officials presently occupying the proposed conquests have denounced Trump’s suggestions.
‘United States Canal!’
Trump
suggested in a lengthy Truth Social post on Saturday that the Panama Canal, over which communist China is increasingly exerting influence and where fees are high and capacity is limited, “is considered a VITAL National Asset for the United States, due to its critical role to America’s Economy and National Security.”
‘Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way.’
“A secure Panama Canal is crucial for U.S. commerce, and rapid deployment of the Navy, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and drastically cuts shopping times to U.S. ports,” wrote Trump. “The United States is the Number One user of the Canal, with
over 70 percent of all transits heading to, or from, U.S. ports. Considered one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Panama Canal opened for business 110 years ago, and was built at HUGE cost to the United States in lives and treasure — 38,000 American men died from infected mosquitos in the jungles during construction.”
A Dec. 17 Congressional Research Service report
noted that American military leaders are concerned over the presence of Chinese military-linked companies along the canal and the security threats they pose.
Freight Waves
noted that China controls ports at both ends of the canal through Hutchinson Ports PPC, a Hong Kong-based company closely linked to the regime in Beijing. In addition to China’s management of the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, Chinese economic engagement in the region — particularly after Panama joined China’s imperialistic Belt and Road Initiative — has put it in a position to potentially manipulate canal operations.
Severe regional drought conditions affecting Gatun Lake, which supplies much of the water necessary for the operation of the canal’s locks,
led to restrictions on daily ship transits late last year and into 2024. In the months that followed, the neutrality of the waterway became an especially contentious issue.
The U.S. secured the right to build and operate the canal and control five miles of land on either side of the passage in 1904 in exchange for annual payments. Democratic President Jimmy Carter
agreed in 1977 to relinquish American control over the canal by the year 2000.
Trump emphasized in his remarks that Carter’s agreement specified that the waterway must be “permanently neutral.”
“It was likewise not given for Panama to charge the United States, its Navy, and corporations, doing business within our Country, exorbitant prices and rates of passage,” continued Trump. “Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way. The fees being charged by Panama are ridiculous, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama by the U.S.”
‘We’ll see about that.’
After recycling the exact language from the treaty, Trump
underscored that the U.S. “would and will NEVER let it fall into the wrong hands! It was not given for the benefit of others, but merely as a token of cooperation with us and Panama.”
“If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us, in full, and without question,” added Trump. “To the Officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly!”
Trump doubled down on his comments at the Turning Point Action Conference on Sunday,
stating, “The United States has a big and vested interest in the secure, efficient and reliable operation of the Panama Canal.”
Panamanian officials balked at Trump’s suggestion.
Manuel Alberto Samaniego Rodriguez, a member of the country’s National Assembly,
stated, “The Panama Canal is located in Panamanian territory, therefore it is not an asset of any other country other than Panama. The statements made by @realDonaldTrump are regrettable. This young Panamanian independent deputy will defend his country with his life if necessary.”
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino responded to Trump’s statements,
suggesting in a video, “Every square meter of the Panama Canal is Panama’s and will continue to be. The sovereignty and independence of our country are not negotiable.”
Mulino noted further that the canal “will continue to be in Panamanian hands as an inalienable heritage of our nation.”
Trump
responded to Mulino’s comment, “We’ll see about that,” then shared an image of the American flag flying over the canal with the caption, “Welcome to the United States Canal!”
Red, white, and blue Greenland
During his first term, Trump raised the possibility of purchasing the self-ruling Danish territory of Greenland, an 836,330 square-mile island home to the northernmost installation of the U.S military, Pituffik Space Base — formerly Thule Air Base. According to a U.S. Geological Survey
estimate, there could be 17.5 billion undiscovered barrels of oil and 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas off the island, which is home to a population of under 60,000.
Greenland government officials
told the Wall Street Journal when Trump’s potential interest in the acquisition was first raised, “We’re open for business, not for sale.”
When announcing former U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Ken Howery as his pick for ambassador to Denmark on Sunday, Trump once again raised the possibility of an acquisition,
stating, “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
“Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interest of the United States,” added Trump.
Múte Egede, the socialist prime minister of Greenland,
said in a statement obtained by Reuters, “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
Contrary to Egede’s suggestion, Greenland belongs to Denmark. It has, however, the right to declare independence but has not done so, apparently keen on continued cash injections from the motherland. Greenland has also been more than willing to lean on a
substantial amount of American aid over the years.
Trump is not the first president to raise the possibility of a red, white, and blue Greenland.
A year after U.S. Secretary of State William Seward
suggested the annexation of the island was “worthy of serious consideration,” the U.S. apparently came close to picking up Greenland and Iceland from Denmark for under $6 million in gold.
Citing previously classified documents, the Associated Press
reported in 1991 that the Truman administration proposed in 1946 to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100 million in gold. At the time, the late Sen. Owen Brewster (R-Maine) called the move a “military necessity” and indicated U.S. military authorities favored the proposed acquisition.
In his Turning Point Action speech, Trump stated, “I can proudly proclaim that the golden age of America is upon us.”
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Panama, Panama canal, Greenland, Manifest destiny, Canada, Annexation, Imperialism, Maga, Trade, Resources, Security, National security, U.s., Politics
