Why is Trump making threats toward Greenland and Panama, even though neither territory is for sale?

President-elect Donald Trump has increased tension in the international community when he made statements about his desire to buy both Greenland and the Panama Canal despite the fact that neither of these are for sale. Addressing an Arizona conservative conference, Trump called the fees that Panama charges absurd and very unfair and hinted at the USA regaining the canal through a coup.

The debate deepened when Trump said Greenland’s ownership was a necessity for the United States in terms of national security, repeating his bid in 2019 to buy the Danish territory. His statements elicited immediate reactions alike from the leaders of both regions with Panama’s President Mulino declaring sovereignty of his country over the canal and Greenland’s Prime Minister Egede in reply to Trump stating “We are not for sale.” The matter took a more sinister turn when Trump illustrated a picture of the US placing both territories and Canada in an ‘Amazon shopping cart’ on social media.

Analysts, including Will Freeman from the Council on Foreign Relations, believe such comments are caused by concerns over the Chinese presence in Panama and the Russians’ interests in the Arctic. Denmark’s response included a statement that it will increase spending on defense in Greenland as Trump emphasized strategic positions for America as he is set to be sworn in as the president on Jan 20.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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