PNN – Trump has revived the 19th century idea of spheres of influence; that great powers should be able to control geographically close areas.
“Welcome to the 19th Century: The New American Imperialism” by Francis Fukuyama on February 10, 2025 in Persuasion Online. This note was translated by “Yasser Mir damadi” whose text is read below:
Trump’s mentality in land expansion should surprise even sympathizers with the idea of ”the priority is with America”. Previously, the necessary warnings were given to the American people about the illegal actions of Donald Trump in domestic politics. Through repeated attacks on the “hidden government,” Trump and his allies have made it clear how they intend to undermine the structure of government in the United States. But in the field of foreign policy, the American people have faced something that they did not expect at all. Before the election, it was safe to assume that Trump had isolationist instincts. He criticized America’s involvement in the “endless wars” in Afghanistan and Iraq. But from his first speech after taking the oath on January 20, 2025, he turned into an antique imperialist. He announced his intention to retake the Panama Canal and subsequently threatened Denmark with heavy tariffs if it did not cede control of Greenland to the United States.
Greenland has become more strategically important to the United States as the planet warms and new Arctic routes open, and could be an important source of minerals. But Trump’s actions are like rape with the intention of enjoying rape: The Danes have previously indicated that they are willing to increase the US security role in Greenland and cede more mining concessions in a peaceful negotiation. But Trump insisted on the military threat. With this account, an unprecedented situation has been formed. Article 5 of NATO [the collective defense clause in the North Atlantic Treaty] calls for mutual support in the event of an attack on a NATO member; there is no provision, however, for when a NATO member attacks another member.
However, the peak of Trump’s performance in the neo-imperialist outfit was his recent proposal to control the Gaza Strip by the United States after the evacuation of about 2 million Palestinian residents. According to Trump in a joint press conference with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, who visited the United States:
As with many of Trump’s actions, it is unclear how seriously the international community should take him. Trump’s plan for Gaza is so ridiculous that it is highly unlikely to happen, but this plan may be a distraction from another plan that is much more likely to happen. Netanyahu’s government wants to declare Israel’s sovereignty over the West Bank and its nearly 3 million Palestinians. While the world’s attention has been focused on Gaza since October 7, Israel has been slowly tightening its control over the land where the majority of Palestinians live.
During the first term of Trump’s presidency, Israel raised the possibility of annexing the West Bank to Israel; Trump may have been sympathetic to the plan, but his son-in-law Jared Kushner was negotiating the Abraham Accords at the time, and the US government never pursued the plan. The most important thing today that prevents the United States from confirming the annexation of the West Bank to Israel is the possibility of an agreement with Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, but the probability of this happening is very low. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has made it clear that there will be no deal without a Palestinian state solution, an idea Israel has firmly rejected. This situation reduces the obstacles for Israel and the United States to act in concert on accession. Mike Huckabee, Trump’s choice for US ambassador to Israel, like most evangelical Christians, believes that the West Bank rightfully belongs to Israel.
There will be major contradictions in Trump’s foreign policy in the future. His nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has a history of opposing US actions in Syria and Ukraine, and now appears to support Trump’s efforts to expand US territory. Some Republicans, like outright isolationist Senator Rand Paul, have begun to raise questions about Trump’s foreign policy direction. Paul says: I thought we voted to put America first. What is this to think of a new occupation that will blow the reserves of our country and spill the blood of our soldiers.