From renewed claims of wanting to buy Greenland (1), inherited from his first administration, to jokes about making Canada the 51st state (2), talks about invading Mexico to fight cartels (3), and threats of regaining control of the Panama Canal (3), Trump is setting up an imperialistic discourse unseen for decades in the Western world. Now, these might very much all be jokes, but as he is set to become the president of the strongest nation in the world, this discourse, not unlike we hear from Russia, or witnessed from Nazi Germany, or the Scramble for Africa, are sure to leave many nations very uncomfortable.
Do you think this is just the typical Trump discourses that seek to scare partners into submission or are we seeing the birth of a new age of direct American imperial and colonialism?
The increase of talk ahead of his reinvestiture makes me somewhat doubt it is all a joke. US share of world's power has been diminishing. Despite being the clear leading military and economical powerhouse, alliances are being formed that might collectively challenge American dominance, with those spearheaded by China being the clearest examples. It certainly wouldn't make sense for the US to be antagonizing allies in this scenario. It could just Trump being Trump, after all, and this is all rhetoric.
On the other hand, contrary to Europe, the US is in a position and has most the resources to pursue a somewhat isolationist stance, something that Trump hinted to, and even Biden pursued. I don't find it inconceivable that the new policy is to recognize that the US lost the monopoly, the international system, be it economic, military, or diplomatic, that they set up and so much benefited America is crumbling, thus they are setting the stage for a time when American influence retreats to its shores.
And this is why I find Trump's targets for jokes about annexation so far are far from innocent. Greenland is rich in resources which would complement America's attempted autarky. Greenland also sits at a strategic location in the Arctic, where the US already has military bases. Finally, the US is wary of growing Chinese influence in the nation. Annexation could be beneficial to the US, which could mean that the opinion of Greenland or even Denmark might not matter much. Canada too, obviously would provide direct access to resources and extended America's protection and influence in the North. Finally, the Panama Canal is still crucial for the US and ensure it is always open to them (and possibly closed to others like China) is a top priority.
Thus, despite still being skeptic about Trump actual imperialist drive, I cannot fully shake it off. The fact that comments on social media on reports about these topics feature plenty of cheers for annexation from the MAGA crowd (or bots) doesn't help either. So, do you read this? Is the US turning back to imperialism and, if so, how do you think the world will react?
