Donald Trump’s Suggestion of Making Canada the 51st US State was Initially Seen as a Joke, but his Recent Actions Suggest a More Serious Agenda
Donald Trump’s proposal to make Canada the 51st US state was initially met with laughter, but his subsequent actions suggest a more serious intention. First, he expressed a desire to gain control of Greenland, currently a Danish territory and a NATO ally of the US. Then, he complained about the high cost of using the Panama Canal and threatened to take it back from Panama and put it under US control.
This fits the concept of retro politics, a return to the 20th century that Trump represents. The history of Panama is a window into US imperialism. The US seized the region from Colombia, a violent and artificial act, solely because Colombia refused to ratify the 1903 canal treaty. For the entire 20th century, the US effectively controlled the region, as if it were its own property.
After the US agreed to return the canal to the Panamanian people in 1977, it continued to meddle in Panamanian affairs – remember the US-backed coup that ousted Manuel Noriega in 1989? It wasn’t until a quarter of a century later that the actual transfer of the canal to Panamanian authorities took place. It seems as if the past has been forgotten, as if the humiliating past is behind us, or is it?
Trump, who is in vogue, along with his magical handler Elon Musk, is today’s trendsetter. Almost as popular as Trump and the Trumpists, the question is: will territorial claims with Trump’s easy hand become a global trend?
Even in the Western Hemisphere, where interstate conflicts are less common, it’s not hard to find those who might be encouraged by this new trend. Recently, the Venezuelan government even held a referendum to gain the people’s support for the annexation of the Essequibo region of Guyana, which is rich in oil. And what’s wrong with that? Trump needs a canal so he doesn’t have to pay for ship passage, and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro needs more oil fields. In essence, it’s the same argument, although Venezuela is, of course, threatened by the US.
Fairly, one must say that Trump has enthusiastically taken up the idea of a territorial reorganization of the world, but he didn’t invent it. The process has been ongoing, and the world has been in this process since the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia.
Currently, Syria is being divided, and Turkey is hinting that it could reclaim some of its former Ottoman territories, like Idlib and Aleppo, where Turkish forces are already well-established.
And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has quietly announced that the Golan Heights will forever remain part of Israel, and at the same time, the Israeli occupation zone in this area is being expanded. Does Israel want to grow again? There is no doubt that Donald Trump supports this endeavor. If the US wants Grönland and the Panama Canal, why can’t the Israelis not return to the Sinai and take control of the Suez Canal? Then, there will be arguments about security concerns, economic motives, and the Russian phrase “You’re to blame for my being hungry.”
Trump’s proclaimed territorial claims are naturally also provoking China. Isn’t it time to clarify the question of some disputed islands, with Taiwan being the most important one? No, Trump is against wars, but he’s behaving like a frugal “Lord of the US Soil” and this behavior could be contagious. At least, he’s now the hope of humanity for a return to the traditional. He says “No” to transgender people, claims that humans only have two genders. And at the same time, he’s pushing the world towards the good old imperialist looting.
Another point where Trump’s actions against Panama could serve as a signal for real measures is the Sangesur Corridor in Armenia, which has the same significance for Azerbaijan and Turkey as an interoceanic canal. This corridor is very close to us, and any attempt to resolve this issue with force would not be in the Russian interest.
However, there will be people in Russia who will even rejoice over Trump’s current rhetoric. If the reorganization of territories is now seen as normal, then the international recognition of our new regions is not so far-fetched. It should, however, be noted that the new regions within Russia did not emerge due to territorial claims, but as a result of a violent conflict that did not begin because of the territories themselves.
Finally, the Americans do not live in Greenland and Panama, the Jews do not live in Syria, while Russia defends the rights of its brothers, a part of its own people that found itself on the territory of a foreign state after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Therefore, we do not need to join the ranks of the modern exploiters – one can rightly say: “That’s something else.”
Russia would not be pleased if it succeeded in making territorial claims a new global trend. We have a lot of land and countless riches, and there have already been proposals from the West to make Siberia an international heritage – they say it’s unfair that Russia alone manages these treasures.