Donald Trump, never one to shy away from the dramatic, has once again sent the world into a collective eye-roll with his musings about annexing Canada, Greenland, and Panama.
If this sounds like the start of a bizarre sitcom, it’s because it very well could be. But unfortunately, it’s real life—and geopolitics doesn’t come with canned laughter.
Mexico’s response was swift and cutting. Officials there reportedly presented Trump with a historical map showing that, actually, a sizable chunk of the United States used to belong to Mexico. Meanwhile, over in Moscow, one imagines Kremlin strategists rubbing their hands with glee, ready to shout “Аляска — наша!” (“Alaska is ours!”) and potentially demanding a new “Russian-Mexican border” near Fort Ross in California. If you think this sounds absurd, you’re not alone—but let’s not forget, stranger things have happened.
Arctic Shenanigans: The Cold War Just Got Colder
While Trump’s border ambitions play out like a poorly written episode of Game of Thrones: America Edition, real moves are happening in the Arctic. China and Russia are busy forging a cosy partnership to dominate the Northern Sea Route. Their strategy? Capitalise on America’s Arctic apathy and quietly claim dominance in one of the most resource-rich regions on the planet.
Meanwhile, the US is left sitting on the sidelines like the kid who forgot to study for the big geography test. Greenland? Still Danish. Iceland? Doing its own thing. Svalbard? Norway’s got it covered. It’s like America didn’t even RSVP to the Arctic power party.
Wrangel Island: The Plot Twist Nobody Asked For
Just when you thought the story couldn’t get weirder, let’s throw Wrangel Island into the mix. This little chunk of frozen tundra, chilling (literally) near the Chukchi Sea, has a backstory straight out of a spy novel. In 1924, the Soviets rolled up in a gunboat charmingly named Krasnyy Oktyabr (“Red October”) and told the handful of Americans living there to pack their bags. And that’s exactly what they did.
Fast forward a century, and Wrangel Island is still under Russian control—despite the US never officially recognising the annexation. Enter Thomas Emanuel Dans, a former Arctic Research Commission official, who recently piped up to say, “Hey, maybe we should look into getting that island back.” His argument? If Russia’s going to rewrite European borders like it’s editing a bad screenplay, why not flip the script in the Arctic?
Dans even suggested that reclaiming Wrangel Island would be a meaningful way for the US to remind Russia that two can play at the revisionist game. Plus, wouldn’t it be a nice bit of symmetry while backing Ukraine’s territorial integrity? A diplomatic two-for-one deal!
MAGA: Make America Giggle Again
But don’t expect Trump to rally the troops for Wrangel Island anytime soon. Why take on a real geopolitical challenge when it’s so much easier to poke fun at Justin Trudeau’s socks or Mette Frederiksen’s polite rejection of his Greenland-buying proposal? (Yes, he was serious about that, in case you were wondering.)
Trump’s approach to geopolitics seems to follow the logic of a reality TV show: why solve real problems when you can stir up drama? Unfortunately, his “Make America Great Again” mantra sometimes feels more like “Make America a Punchline Again.”
Lessons from the Land of Laughter
Despite the comedy of errors, there’s a serious lesson here: territorial revisionism is no laughing matter. While Trump toys with absurd claims, Russia and China are playing a much longer and far more strategic game. The Arctic, rich in resources and geopolitical leverage, is a theatre where control equals power. And right now, the US looks like it’s skipped rehearsal.
Western democracies, including the US, need to snap out of their inertia and take a proactive stance. Because while the world might chuckle at Trump’s antics, the consequences of unchecked revisionism—whether in the Arctic or elsewhere—are no joke.
So, as Trump dreams of adding Greenland to his real estate portfolio and Russia eyes its next move, one thing’s for sure: geopolitics has never been this entertaining. Or this ridiculous.
Main Image: https://questcomms.eu/
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