The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trumpwho will take office for his second term as head of the White House on January 20th, has taken advantage of the last few weeks to express imperialist desires that cause concerns in relations with some countries.
He has already suggested attaching the Canadawhich would become the 51st American state, talked about buying the Greenland for reasons of national security and even gave his opinion on regaining control of the Panama Canal.
In addition to the question of where these ideas come from, questions are emerging about whether this would be possible – given the denials of the other parties involved – and about the internal and external impacts of these desired expansions of US territory.
O InfoMoney compiled some of the possible answers. Look:
Canada
Speaking on Tuesday (7) to reporters at his residence in Florida, Trump again suggested transforming Canada into the 51st North American state through “economic strength”, reinforcing that the union between Canada and the United States would be “something very big ”. Trump also stated that the border between the two countries is “artificially drawn”.
According to the website The Hillspecializing in American politics, the idea of a union between the US and Canada dates back centuries, when the first American leaders invaded Quebec during the American Revolution. A few decades later, the US unsuccessfully invaded Canada during the War of 1812, amid frustration with the Royal Navy’s moves to bring American sailors onto its own ships.
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After this conflict, fears of annexation and invasion continued during the Civil War (1861-1865) and amid US pressure for expansion and the “Manifest Destiny” doctrine, which motivated westward expansion. The idea of including the territories to the North was that the USA was destined to control the continent.
But these fears ended when the two nations became allies in the 20th century, Duane Bratt, professor of political science at Mount Royal University, explained to the website. So much so that the countries are partners in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
A recent Leger poll, cited by The Canadian Press, found that 82% of Canadians oppose the idea of joining the U.S. as the next state. Another poll, conducted in October, found that about two-thirds of Canadians supported Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election and that just 21% had sympathy for Trump.
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O site Political highlights that a union of this type would be ironically beneficial for the Democratic Party, since the greatest chance is that Canada will become a “blue” state in American politics, with changes even in the Electoral College.
In the Senate, Canada would have two representatives, with little doubt that they would be Democrats. In the Chamber, if the current number of 435 seats were maintained, Canada would be entitled to 45 seats, just one less than California, with 46 seats. These numbers, it is necessary to explain, would have little influence on the last election, given the advantage obtained by Trump over Harris.
But, in an annexation, first of all it would be necessary to resolve a difficult internal condition of the northern neighbor: Canada is a constitutional monarchy and is divided into 10 provinces.
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“It may seem like Canada and the United States have a lot in common, but a quarter of Canada speaks French, and the province of Quebec is still not part of the Canadian Constitution. They don’t want to be part of the American Constitution,” recalls Matthew Lebo, professor of political science at the University of Western Ontario and visiting professor at McGill University.
Greenland
On the annexation of Greenland, the CNN highlights that the region has long been seen as fundamental to US security, especially to repel a possible attack from Russia, as reported by Ulrik Pram Gad, senior researcher at the Danish Institute of International Studies.
The academic highlights that the Northwest Passage sea route runs along its coast and the island is part of the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom gap, a strategic maritime region.
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Greenland is the largest island in the world and is home to more than 56,000 people. Denmark has owned the island for a few centuries, but has gradually granted greater autonomy to the local authorities.
Greenland voted for self-rule in 2008, receiving control of domestic affairs, while Denmark retains responsibility for external affairs, including its defense.
As a curiosity, its capital, Nuuk, is closer to New York than to the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen.
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A CNN highlights that Trump was not the first US president to float the idea of buying Greenland. In 1867, when President Andrew Johnson purchased Alaska, he also considered acquiring Greenland.
Even at the end of World War II, the idea remained alive and Harry Truman’s government offered Denmark $100 million for the island, according to documents reported by Danish media.
Neither offer materialized, but under a 1951 defense treaty, the US was able to establish an air base, called Pituffik Space Base, in the northwest of the island. Halfway between Moscow and New York, this is the northernmost outpost of the US military and is equipped with a missile warning system.
In 2019, in his first term, Trump mentioned the issue for the first time as a possibility, supposedly proposing that Denmark agree to exchange Greenland for Puerto Rico.
This week, Trump commented that the island is crucial to military efforts to track Chinese and Russian ships, which he said are “everywhere.”
Another interest involved, highlights the British BBCis that the island has some of the largest deposits of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in the manufacture of batteries and high-tech devices.
But this Wednesday (8) Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said that Greenland could even become independent if its residents wanted, but that it would not become a state of the United States.
Panama
Donald Trump’s other controversial proposal is . First, the future American president accused Panama of charging US ships too high tariffs to use the waterway, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He then highlighted that the channel, which is vital for his country, “is being operated by China”.
In fact, a Hong Kong-based company, CK Hutchison Holdings, manages two ports at the canal’s entrances. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino rejected Trump’s allegations and said that on the channel.
The canal was built in the early 1900s and the US maintained control over the site until 1977, when treaties negotiated by President Jimmy Carter gradually ceded the land back to Panama.
O site The Hill highlights that American presidents since Dwight D. Eisenhower have been concerned about the security of the waterway and that the canal has become a target as revolutionary forces in Central America increasingly threaten vital American interests.
But one expert told the website that both the US administration and Congress have given in to the pragmatic reality that the canal could be closed if extreme nationalist forces decided to sabotage its operations. The canal and its many locks would be easy prey for terrorists or a hostile government.
Thus, today the Panama Canal is an international waterway used by ships from all nations. One example of its importance is that, if shipping companies do not want to pay the established fee, the option is to take a much longer and more expensive route around Cape Horn.
Therefore, transit prices are set by this traditional calculation of supply and demand although, as in other capital transactions, price manipulation is possible. But these disputes can be resolved by appealing to the Panama Canal Authority.
A relevant fact is that the region has suffered a lot from climate change, with the lakes that help control water levels suffering frequent droughts, recalls the G1which forced the Panamanian government to limit ship transit. This is to balance the population’s water supply needs.
