(12-24-2024, 12:23 PM)Caldrac Wrote:

(12-24-2024, 11:43 AM)The Real Marty Wrote: Since the election, Trump has expressed a desire to take over the Panama Canal, annex Canada, and buy Greenland from Denmark.  

My question for you is, has Trump lost his mind?

I don't think he's lost his mind. I just think he's overly ambitious and roughly half of what he says or wants to achieve will come to fruition. 

Taking over the Panama Canal? I don't see anything crazy about that in particular that would make you think he's lost his mind. We used to have a period of joint control over it with the Panamanian government up until 1999. My biggest guess as to why he would target that area though is to directly avoid China backdooring it's way into that territory potentially. There was an article or two in 2022 talking about this very relationship. China has a lot of control there.

Does China Own the Panama Canal? No, but Still Concerning

Annex Canada? Farfetched for sure. Doubt that happens. Not a fan of some of their beliefs and policies up there though. Don't they condone or have passed into law for people to willfully off themselves with assisted suicide? Just seems like a really sick thing to advocate and stand behind in my opinion.

Buying Greenland from Denmark? Not a bad idea if they want to sell it. Wouldn't hurt to ask. They have one of the highest shares of renewable energy in the world at 70%, mostly coming from hydropower. It's believed it also has one of the world's largest remaining oil resources. Wouldn't be a bad land grab. Also, the idea of Manifest Destiny is refreshing. 

While we have been expanding via proxy wars and US tax dollars to fund conflicts? China has invested in South America and Russia has invested in Africa. We're barely hanging on by a thread as it stands now as the world's global superpower (we're probably already lost at this point to be fair). Getting into this footrace now while we still can within this decade is not a bad idea overall.

You're debating global strategy with people who actively want the USA to lose it's solo superpower status or naive enough to believe that other countries just want to be our equals and bear us no ill will in becoming so. I think the Chinese threat in the Western Hemisphere from Mexico south is substantial and I have no issues with the US exerting some pressure that direction. I, you, and most non-TDS sufferers know that the Canada thing was a joke. The Greenland thing is out of left field but I'm always in favor of the USA absorbing more territory because I'm an actual patriot and want to see our country continue to lead the world.

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