Ahead of taking charge as the 47th US President on January 20, 2025, Donald John Trump hinted that he would take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal!

Trump has alleged that US ships passing through the Panama Canal are being charged unfairly, stressing that he would not tolerate any interference of China in managing this crucial maritime route. He warned that the US would take full control of the canal, if the Panama Administration failed to secure the management system of the canal.

The Panama Canal is used for about 5% of the world’s total maritime freight as it moves about USD 270 billion worth of cargo each year. The canal connects 180 maritime routes that reach 1,920 ports in 170 countries. The Panama Canal is also the trade route for 40% of all US container traffic. Cargo ships can save a lot of time, as well as fuel, by using this canal as they do not have to travel the southern coast of Latin America to reach the western coast of the US from Europe. Since the completion of construction work of the Panama Canal in 1914, the US and Panama jointly managed the canal for a long time. The Central American country got full control of this canal in 1999 as per an agreement signed in 1977 under James Earl Carter Jr, the then President of the US.

The US President-elect recently mentioned on Truth Social (an alt-tech social media platform owned by Trump Media & Technology Group) that Panama was extorting money from the US for using the canal. He stressed: “Our Navy and Commerce have been treated in a very unfair and injudicious way… This complete ‘rip-off’ of our country will immediately stop.” Trump further said: “When President Jimmy Carter foolishly gave it away, for One Dollar… it was solely for Panama to manage, not China, or anyone else.”

Apart from the US, China, Japan and South Korea also use the Panama Canal. Hence, Trump is worried about the increasing influence of China there. Meanwhile, José Raúl Mulino, the President of Panama, hit back at Trump over the canal threat, saying: “Every square metre of the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama.” He also said: “The canal has no direct or indirect control from China, nor the European Union (EU), nor the US or any other power. As a Panamanian, I reject any manifestation that misrepresents this reality.” According to President Mulino, the rates for shipping cargo through the Panama Canal are not established on whim. “They are and will be established, publicly and in an open audience, considering market conditions, international conditions, operating costs and the maintenance and modernisation needs of the interoceanic waterway,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Trump has also expressed desire to purchase Greenland, the North American island that is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. He claimed that it would be an absolute necessity for the US to own and control Greenland in order to ensure global security! He made the comment while appointing Kenneth Alan Howery as the US Ambassador to Denmark on December 22, 2024.

There is nothing new in Trump’s interest in Greenland. During his previous term as the US President from 2017 to 2021, the Republican leader expressed the same desire and planned to sign a treaty with Copenhagen in this regard. In 2019, he wanted to purchase Greenland because of its natural resources and geopolitical relevance. However, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made clear that Greenland was not for sale, stating: “Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland. I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously.” Later, Trump cancelled his visit to Copenhagen over Frederiksen’s Greenland comments.

There is a US space base, called Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) on the northwest coast of Greenland. Political analysts are of the opinion that the US wants to keep the possession of Greenland because of that base. Other countries, including Russia, have been trying to gain control over this region for a long time due to its strategic location. It may be noted that the base is located 1,210km north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524km from the North Pole.

Although Greenland is a part of the North American continent, it is geopolitically related to Europe. Residents of Greenland are considered EU citizens. Furthermore, Nuuk receives financial support from the EU. Múte Inequnaaluk Bourup Egede, the Prime Minister of Greenland, has condemned Trump’s recent comment, saying that Washington DC could never take the world’s largest island. He added: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom.“

Incidentally, Trump, immediately after being elected as the President for the second time, was heard saying that Canada would be merged with the US. He reportedly said: “Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State of the US.” Later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Pierre James Trudeau suggested that Trump was joking about annexing his country.

Commenting on the issue, Stephen Farnsworth, a Professor of Political Science at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said: “Canada is not going to become part of the US, but Trump’s comments are more about leveraging what he says to get concessions from Canada by putting Canada off balance, particularly given the precarious current political environment in Canada. Maybe claim a win on trade concessions, a tighter border or other things.” As far as Greenland is concerned, the professor stressed: “What Trump wants is a win. And even if the American flag does not raise over Greenland, Europeans may be more willing to say ‘yes’ to something else because of the pressure.”

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das