United States President-elect Donald Trump has not ruled out using the military to regain control of the Panama Canal and Greenland. The speech took place during a press conference in Mar-a-Lago this Tuesday (7).
Asked directly whether he would rule out the use of “military or economic coercion” to gain control of these territories, the president-elect replied “no”.
“No, I can’t guarantee anything about either, but I can say we need them for economic security [dos EUA]”, declared Trump.
He further suggested that the United States got the worst end of the deal regarding the Panama Canal.
“The Panama Canal is a disgrace,” Trump continued during his speech at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump had already threatened to regain, without explaining how, control of the Canal — which the Panamanian government immediately rejected.
Asked later if he would also use the Army against Canada, which he also suggested the US acquire, the Republican replied: “No, economic strength.”
Understand more about the history of the Channel
The waterway, an important global transit point connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, was built by the United States during the administration of President Teddy Roosevelt.
A key factor in the rise of American geopolitical power in the early 20th century, the Canal was maintained and controlled by the US until a series of treaties during the Carter administration led to a gradual transfer of administration of the Canal to Panama – which was not completed until 1999.
The US still retains the right to defend itself against any threat to the Channel’s neutrality under the terms of the Neutrality Treaty, ratified by the US Senate in 1978.
However, analysts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies believe that the extension of Chinese trade relations in the region would require a significant US strategy to reinforce its own presence in Panama and around the Canal.
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This content was originally published in Trump does not rule out using the Army to take control of the Panama and Greenland Canal on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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