Donald Trump’s surprise threat to regain control of the Panama Canal and his expansionist declaration that the United States should seize Greenland signal that the US president-elect intends to pursue a foreign policy divorced from diplomatic gestures of goodwill.
As Trump prepares to take office on January 20, his advisers have been working on preparing him to deal with two foreign policy crises: the war in Ukraine and multiple conflicts in the Middle East, situations that the president-elect has promised to quickly resolve. .
On Sunday, however, Trump was more focused on making threats to US allies such as Panama and Denmark, which controls Greenland as an overseas territory.
In previous weeks, it was Canada that had to deal with his taunts suggesting it should become the 51st state of the United States.
Defenders of Trump’s approach say he is merely a vocal enthusiast of “America First” policies. This means bluntly defending American interests—economic and otherwise—when dealing with allies, largely ignoring the consequences those allies might face.
“The idea is that what’s good for the United States is good for the rest of the world,” said Victoria Coates, a senior national security official under Trump from 2017 to 2021.
“So he looks objectively at what America’s interests are in any given situation.”
In the case of Panama, Trump stated that the United States should reassert control of the important Central American waterway because Panama was charging vessels excessive amounts to use it, an allegation vehemently denied by the Panamanian president.
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This content was originally published in Trump shows preview of combative policy with threats to Panama and Greenland on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
