Donald Trump's threats against NATO colleague Denmark – which Greenland belongs to – are "incredibly provocative", says Jan Hallenberg, political scientist at the Foreign Policy Institute.
It's something that has hardly ever happened in the history of the USA – that one threatens an ally with potential military violence.
Last time an incoming American president made similar threats to expand the country's borders was in the late 19th century. Then, as part of the Spanish-American War, it ended with the USA taking control of the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Compare to Russia
Now Trump has set his sights on Greenland and the Panama Canal. During a press conference on Tuesday evening, he did not rule out military or economic coercion to acquire both. Trump also said he wanted to annex Canada and turn it into the "51st state" of the USA through economic pressure.
Trump likes to provoke and be in the center, notes Jan Hallenberg. Now he's marking that he's not Joe Biden: that the USA under Trump will act aggressively and assert its interests.
And clearly, the USA has territorial and economic interests outside its borders. Hallenberg draws parallels to China's actions in the South China Sea – and also to Russia's claims on Ukraine.
Wants something
It's clear that Trump wants something from Panama, Greenland, and Canada. He's showing that he's the one with the power now: "The USA is a superpower – small countries around us have to bend when we move forward".
Jan Hallenberg believes that the statements should primarily be interpreted as negotiating tactics and markers against Russia and China, whose growing influence on the Western Hemisphere irritates Trump. That a Hong Kong-based company operates two ports along the Panama Canal is "unacceptable", according to Trump; Russia's and China's interests in the Arctic as well.
He chooses his battles. China and Russia are playing in a way that Trump doesn't like – then he marks.
Donald Trump, who takes office in the USA on January 20, has not ruled out military violence to acquire the Panama Canal and the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. He has also threatened Canada with high tariffs to get the neighboring country to agree to an American annexation.
This is how the respective leaders have responded to the threats:
Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede: "We are not for sale and will never be."
Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha: "Our canal's sovereignty is not negotiable and is part of our historical struggle."
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: "Not a chance in hell that Canada becomes part of the USA."
Sources: DR, AFP.
