The Out-Of-The-Box World Disorder
By Anil Madan
In just over two weeks of President Trump 2.0, the world has seen an expansionist idea of America with Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal in its sights. The overture to buy Greenland ended in a somewhat testy telephone call between Trump and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen in which Trump insisted on acquiring Greenland and Frederiksen insisting that it is not for sale. That is not the end of the matter. Recently confirmed Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said: “This is not a joke,” and added: “This is not about acquiring land for the purpose of acquiring land. This is in our national interest.”
It should not be overlooked that Frederiksen gives legitimacy to US concerns about security and has signalled that she would welcome the presence of additional US troops in Greenland.
Meanwhile, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. In addition to voicing his displeasure with the massive trade surpluses that these countries enjoy over the US, he raised other concerns. With Mexico and Canada, it is the flow of illegal immigrants and fentanyl into the US. With China, it is the massive trade surplus as well as the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of fentanyl, from China to Mexico. As well, he voiced his displeasure over alleged Chinese control of the Panama Canal: “China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn’t give it to China — we gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”
China’s influence over the Panama Canal
This past weekend, Rubio visited Panama and relayed the message that Trump believes “the current position of influence and control of the Chinese Communist Party over the Panama Canal area is a threat to the canal and represents a violation of the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal.”
Trump then announced tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China.
In Panama, Rubio insisted that unless immediate changes were made, the United States would be forced to take necessary measures to protect its interests under the treaty.
With Trump threatening: “We’re going to take it back, or something very powerful is going to happen,” President Mulino of Panama protested that the premise of Trump’s concerns — that the canal is being operated by the Chinese — is wrong, and tried to downplay the situation by suggesting that Trump was more focused on Chinese operated ports than on the canal itself.Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 7 February 2025
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