TRUMP is back. His foreign policy announcements, or rather, interventions, clearly show his intentions. What were imagined as statements made by a maniac are now turning out to be pronouncements made with all due seriousness. The real meaning of making ‘America Great Again’ is now becoming crystal clear.

Trump started his first day as president by signing many executive orders, one among them is renaming the Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America. Innocuous it might seem, but it signals the imperial ambitions of the US. Historically, the US has occupied many territories belonging to Mexico. Now, by renaming the Gulf, he wants to erase history and rewrite it on his terms.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum displayed a historical map from 1607 and cheekily stated that going by the map and history, the entire North America should be called as ‘Mexican America’. She also took on the Google for bowing down before Trump and changing the name of Gulf of Mexico. She pointed out to Google that ‘any name change on maps could only apply to the 12 nautical miles surrounding a country’s coastline’. This means that Trump’s renaming of the Gulf does not apply to the entire waters of the Gulf and is only applicable to the US and not to Mexico or for that matter to the world. By standing up to Trump, she showed the world how to deal with him and his policies.

PANAMA CANAL

Trump’ imperial ambitions came out more openly through the statement he made about Panama and the Panama canal. He wrongly claimed that Panama canal is run by the Chinese and the US naval vessels and ships are being discriminated by levying higher tolls. All these allegations were denied by the president of Panama, but of course, Trump is not bothered about the truth. He threatened Panama that the US will ‘take back the canal’, even if that means using force. The reality is that the canal is managed by Panama and there is no discrimination on levying tolls.

Trump has recently declared that Panama bowed before his threats and has agreed to allow free pass to the US vessels. Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino denied the US State Department’s claims. The Panama Canal Authority said it had ‘not made any adjustments to the fees’. The people of Panama are against the statements and claims made by the US administration and want the sovereignty of their country protected at any cost. They still remember the US invasion of Panama on December 20, 1989 and are stating: “we rise, you know, we defend and we unite, after all, to defend our country and our people. Because it’s not about the canal, it’s about our integrity”. The determination of the people of Panama is reflected in their social media posts: ‘No way – this is not gonna happen again’.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF CANADA

Another statement of Trump that shook people and forced them to take notice is on Canada. Trump stated that he would like Canada to become the 51st state of the US. This took everybody by surprise because, unlike Panama, Canada is not a small country. Not only in size and economy, Canada is also a part of the NATO alliance, one of the members of the ‘Five Eyes Alliance’ and a partner in crime in many US projects across the world. In spite of all these factors, Trump was unfazed and continued with his insistence, which slowly made the Canadian government to accept that he is really serious and means what he is saying. If there were still any doubters in the Canadian administration, the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian goods (which were later revoked in order to give Canada a month’s time to reconsider its trading relations with the US) opened their eyes to the hard realities. On February 10, Trump announced that he planned to add a ‘25 per cent tax on all global steel and aluminium imports to the US beginning 12th March’. This is going to be another big blow on Canada’s economy.

Frightened by Trump’s threats, all the 13 premiers of Canada went on a visit to Washington to meet with the officials in the new administration. What transpired was contrary to their expectations. They hoped that together they would be able to convince the US not to punish them with such punitive measures as tariffs. But as clearly stated by the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, “White House advisers urged us to take the President at his word”.

More than 75 per cent of Canada's exports go to the US and the two economies are thoroughly integrated. The US imports six million tonnes of Canadian steel and more than three million tonnes of aluminium products per year. Since 1988, after the signing of the US-Canada Free Trade Agreement, Canada has moved very close to the US. This has foreclosed many options that were open before it, and made Canada dependent on the US. Canadians were comforted with statements like both the countries share ‘shared values’ and should be together. Now the reality is striking them on their faces.

Canada needs to think of other options if it decides to stand up for its independence and integrity. People on the streets are opining that it is better to pay the costs, but retain their independence and integrity. But the elected leaders, representing the interests of the ruling classes are extremely worried about the costs and are trying to beg and persuade the US to be sympathetic to their interests. Though talk of retaliation through tariffs exists, there appears to be no sincerity and courage behind these statements. It is for this reason that a delegation of the premiers of all the states in Canada went to the US capital.

GREENLAND, MEXICO AND GAZA

Trump reiterated his proposal to buy ‘Greenland’ from Denmark, first made in 2019. He said buying Greenland is essential for American economic security, and ‘national security and freedom throughout the world’. “I don't really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn't allow that to happen because it's for the protection of the free world”, he stated. He expressed his confidence that the US would ‘get it’ and bizarrely claimed that “the people want to be with us”.

This proved to be another one of Trump’s false claims as a survey done by a media agency found that 85 per cent of Greenlanders stated that they do not want to be with the US. Both Denmark and Greenland, have condemned Trump’s preposterous claims.

On the question of tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke to the US and also the people of Mexico by reiterating the principles of sovereignty and integrity. She agreed to address the concerns of the US about illegal migration and also drug smuggling, but not at the cost of compromising the sovereignty of Mexico. When the US accused Mexican government of according  ‘safe havens for the cartels’, Sheinbaum rejected the slander and in a strongly worded statement said “if there’s such an alliance, it exists between US gun shops and the criminal groups”. Her firm dealing with the US won her many admirers not only in Mexico, but also around the world.

Trump has stunned the world by stating that Gaza is ‘hell of a place to live’ due to all the destruction and it needs to be ‘cleaned up’. He wants all the Palestinians residing in Gaza to be relocated to Jordan and Egypt, while the US will take over Gaza and develop into a ‘Middle-East Riviera’. According to him, this is the only lasting solution for the ‘middle-eastern problem’, which is inflaming the region for the past more than 70 years. Prime Minister of Israel, Netanyahu, who was standing beside Trump, could not hide his glee on hearing these words. Trump, in the name of bringing peace, is proposing all the Palestinians to forego their homes and land and leave it for the US and Israel to re-settle and develop it into a tourist hub. Such is his outrageous contempt for Palestine and the demand for Statehood.

The thread linking all the claims made by Trump – whether it is on Panama, Mexico, Canada, Greenland, Gaza or on Ukraine – is very clear. He wants the US to control these regions for their rich rare earth minerals and control the routes of navigation. Canada, Greenland, Ukraine all have rich rare earth reserves, which the US desperately needs. It needs to control the navigation routes for dominating the global trade and also ensure that it retains a hold and gets to decide who trades what and with whom. This is what really is behind Trump’s calculated, but seemingly crazy utterances.

The US realised that China is a major threat to its hegemony. The newly elected Defence Secretary unequivocally stated that it is not Russia or any other country that is a threat to the US. It is China and the Communist Party of China that is a major countervailing force to the US hegemony and thus a threat to the US. By identifying the Communist Party, Trump administration acknowledges that socialism and the Left are the only forces that are capable of standing up against capitalism’s ruthless exploitation and expansionism.

It is also for this reason, Trump placed Cuba in the list of State sponsors of terrorism, revoking the orders passed few days before the end of Biden’s presidency. Cuba condemned this move and defiantly stated that it would not kowtow before the US, and would continue to resist. It takes huge  courage to take such a position, more so for a small country located within 90 miles of the US coast and already suffering severely from US imposed economic embargo. Cuba’s courage comes from the belief on its people and socialist conviction.

A major initiative of Trump was the deportation of immigrants. Thousands of immigrants are rounded off and deported. In this process, they are being inhumanly treated. We ourselves have witnessed how Indian immigrants are shackled, handcuffed and sent in a military airplane. Our government reacted very meekly on such a treatment. Now, Prime Minister Modi is on a trip to the US and all indications once again point to a meek submission before the US, unlike how countries like Mexico, Cuba and China are reacting.

Trump believes that America’s greatness depends on hegemony and expansionism. Nothing could be further from the truth. True greatness comes from standing with the people, serving their interests, and having the courage to assert independence, sovereignty, and the freedom to choose the system in which we want to live.