What's Trump eyeing with claims on Canada, Panama Canal and Greenland

Weeks before his inauguration, US President-elect Donald Trump stated his intention to make Canada the 51st state of the US, retake the Panama Canal, and acquire Greenland from Denmark. Do the 78-year-old's territorial ambitions reflect mere desires, or do they show strategic, economic, security, and geopolitical foresight in a changing global order?

US President-elect Donald Trump's statements and social media posts have reignited debates and speculation about his aspirations for American territorial expansion. Trump's targets include Canada, the Panama Canal, and Greenland. Trump has proposed using "economic force" to make Canada the 51st state of the US, and has expressed his desire to retake the Panama Canal, and acquire Greenland from Denmark.

Are the 78-year-old's aspirations and harpings about extending American territory and influence merely desires, or do they carry economic, security, and geopolitical significance and foresight amid a shifting global order?

These desires and statements, which may seem like the musings of Trump, the former real estate tycoon, are likely more than that, suggest experts.

WHAT TRUMP SAID ON CONTROLLING CANADA, GREENLAND AND PANAMA CANAL

Donald Trump's proposal to retake the Panama Canal, a vital trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, challenges the Torrijos-Carter Treaties of 1977, under which the US ceded control of the canal to Panama by 1999. These treaties guaranteed the canal's neutrality and allowed US intervention to defend it if necessary. Trump had earlier accused Panama of overcharging US ships to use the waterway. Now Trump, who called the treaties 'follies' that undermined US influence in the region, said, "We gave the Panama Canal to Panama. We didn’t give it to China, and they've abused it".

"No, I can’t assure you of either of those two... We need them for economic security... The Panama Canal was built for our military," Trump said on being asked if he could assure the world that he would not use military or economic coercion as he tried to gain control of the Panama Canal and Denmark.

On Canada, Trump's suggestion of making it the 51st state of the United States is another provocative proposal. Trump in some social media posts also referred to Canadian PM Justin Trudeau as "Governor Trudeau". Asked if he would use military action to fulfil his idea of absorbing Canada into the US, Trump replied, "No, economic force. Because Canada and the US, that would really be something". He added, "You get rid of that artificially drawn line (US-Canada border), and you take a look at what that looks like, and it would also be much better for national security."

Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, is another target of Trump's expansionist ambitions. In his recent social media posts, Trump has reiterated his belief that ownership and control of Greenland are an "absolute necessity" for the United States. The Republican has also suggested he would impose tariffs on Denmark if it resists his offer to purchase Greenland, which he said is "vital to US national security".

Historically, Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it became a part of Denmark. Today, it has a significant degree of autonomy but remains under the Danish monarchy.

TRUMP EYES STRATEGY, SECURITY, RESOURCES AND DOMINANCE WITH HIS ARCTIC PUSH

Behind Trump's demands are several economic, security and environmental considerations and an amount of foresight, say experts.

"At one level, this is Trump being Trump. He has a mercantilist mentality and likely views economic and international relations through a mercantilist lens. This is where the idea of Canada being the 51st state comes from. Canadians benefit from much lower tariffs than Americans in bilateral trade," Sushant Sareen, senior fellow at New Delhi-based think-tank ORF, tells India Today TV.

Apart from differences on tariffs with Canada and Panama, Trump also has geostrategic concerns about the new bipolar world at the centre. He had argued that extending the US's sphere of dominance in the region, particularly in the Arctic Circle, is not only about protecting the US but also about securing Canada from threats such as Russian and Chinese incursions in the Arctic.

"That's for the free world. I'm talking about protecting the free world. You look at it, you don't even need binoculars. You look outside, you have Chinese ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We're not letting that happen," said Trump.

After the US, it's the Chinese ships that frequent the Panama Canal the most. Increasingly, several Latin American nations are also seeing a surge in Chinese investments.

The Arctic region, which includes Greenland and Canada, is home to approximately 30% of the world's undiscovered gas and 13% of its undiscovered oil, according to the US Geological Survey. Beneath the polar ice, there are rare earth metals worth an estimated USD 1 trillion. The melting Arctic ice is therefore a warning as it opens access to resources and shorter trade routes in the region.

Greenland, rich in natural resources including rare earth metals, may see these become more accessible in coming decades as climate change melts its ice in the northern areas.

Greenland already hosts a large US military base. However, Trump has now questioned the legitimacy of Denmark's control over Greenland, despite Denmark being a longtime American ally and a founding member of NATO.

"The US is keen to ensure no hostile great powers control Greenland, because it can be a foothold for attacking the US," Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, told CNN.

This is not the first time a proposal to buy Greenland came from the US. When President Andrew Johnson bought Alaska in 1867, he also considered purchasing Greenland. After World War II ended, the US-led by President Harry Truman offered Denmark USD 100 million for the island, according to a CNN report, citing Danish media.

Trump’s interest in Greenland and the Arctic reflects broader US concerns about being outpaced by Russia and China in the region too. Russia, the big Arctic power, along with ally China, is already racing to dominate the untapped region. The US, which is also a member of the Arctic Council multilateral grouping (thanks to Alaska), aims to negate Beijing's 'Polar Silk Road' initiative of an alternate route around the world.

"We are facing risks from an increasingly assertive, and even aggressive action by Russia and the People's Republic of China," Esther McClure, the Defense Department's director of Arctic and oceans policy, said in April 2024.

"The race has been ongoing for a decade now. The Chinese have also been sending ships to the region. With the northern route opening up, how do you stop Chinese ships from entering the area? This is where Greenland becomes crucial, not necessarily as an American territory. The same applies to the northern region of Canada," ORF's Sushant Sareen tells India Today TV.

It is because of this mix of economic, security, and geopolitical foresight that Trump's territorial aspirations to control Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal emerged. While his proposals seem provocative and have faced backlash from all three countries, they could well be a bid to negotiate a bigger US role in these areas, even if the US does not ultimately gain control over them.