There is something suspicious behind the White House’s recent demand to annex Canada and Greenland.
Canada, the country geographically and politically closest to the United States, now has Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing President Donald Trump of attempting to destroy his country’s economy in order to take it over. Meanwhile, Denmark has rejected Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, saying it will not give in.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, finds himself caught in the Oval Office, negotiating what Ukraine must sacrifice or retain in its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Simple explanations suggest that Trump is a showman, hungry for attention, or seeking to distract Americans with foreign issues while he dismantles the federal government from within. But this explanation does not hold up.
A closer examination of Trump’s actions suggests he may be pursuing a grand project that reflects his campaign promise to “Make America Great Again.” This slogan, emblazoned on walls, T-shirts, and banners during his election, is more than just a catchy phrase.
I don’t subscribe to conspiracy theories, which I believe are simply a lazy way of explaining what people fail to understand about the world. It seems to me that Trump has a far-reaching plan, one that aligns with his ambition to become the greatest president in American history—comparable to George Washington, during whose presidency the United States was founded, the South was annexed to it, and it became the great country we know today.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to annex or unite with Canada and Greenland. But what would that mean, were it to happen?
Look at the map. Canada is slightly larger than the United States, measuring around 10 million square kilometers, while Greenland, the world’s largest island, spans more than 2 million square kilometers. Combining the territories of both would double the size of the United States, increasing its total area to about 22 million square kilometers, making it larger than Russia and twice the size of China.
But this is not simply about bragging rights. Merging these three closely connected countries would give the US a significant geopolitical advantage and increase its economic power.
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Of course, it’s unlikely Trump would attempt to seize Canada or Greenland by force, for many reasons, not the least of which is that in the American system, it is Congress—not the president—that declares war.
Trump has never stated, nor is he likely to state, an intention to use military force, though he has shown a keen sense of Machiavellian strategy. He has repeatedly suggested he would be willing to buy Greenland and even attempt to convince its inhabitants to vote for independence from Denmark.
Canada, however, remains the ultimate prize. Trump has already made overtures to Trudeau, even addressing the Canadian people directly to call for unity, but to no avail.
Now, Trudeau accuses Trump of raising tariffs on Canadian imports as a deliberate attempt to weaken the Canadian economy in preparation for a future annexation. This may hold some truth, but it could also be a legal annexation, following a constitutional referendum.
Let’s not forget that Canada relies heavily on its neighbor’s market: about 75% of its exports go to the US, and nearly a quarter of its national income comes from it.
What about Trump’s European allies, whom he has alienated with unprecedented tariffs, pushing their economies toward recession and sparking internal political unrest? Trump argues that his tariffs treat them the same as other trading partners. And while many may oppose his expansionist projects and his closer ties with Russia, there is also an element of trade negotiation at play here.
The final obstacle lies in opposition from Russia and China. Any idea of expansion or unification by mutual consent would be seen as a direct threat by both countries.
Even if an agreement were reached for the annexation of Canada and Greenland, it wouldn’t be enough to pacify Russia and China, especially given the ongoing desires of Eastern European nations like Ukraine, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to join NATO and the European Union—countries that have yet to be admitted to avoid angering Russia.
Therefore, friendly expansion would require geopolitical compromises to prevent these powers from making aggressive moves of their own, potentially igniting large-scale conflict.
This, however, is merely a hypothesis. I believe Trump, or his advisers, may be operating on a strategy they have dubbed “friendly geographic expansion,” which would require a series of global geopolitical agreements.
A potential understanding with Russia, which borders Greenland, could help justify Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and potentially lead to an agreement on the roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory that Russia has seized.
Such a solution could end the war in Ukraine, reduce losses, and appease Moscow, thereby paving the way for the next steps in America’s friendly expansion.
Some will no doubt oppose this plan, as it mirrors the expansionist ideas of colonial powers, a notion that could revive fears of imperialism.
Historically, the US was itself a colony, and it was the one to oppose colonialism in the world.
President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, which called for the end of colonialism, were largely realized after World War II, with Washington applying pressure on its allies, such as Britain and France, to relinquish their colonies, including in the Arab world.
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)