Trump, Greenland, and the Panama Canal: America's Strategic Future?

Defense and dual-use technologies

Good morning!

Unless you’ve been asleep all week, you’ve almost certainly seen or heard about President-Elect Trump’s comments concerning renaming the Gulf of Mexico, making Canada a U.S. state, securing preferential rates for U.S. shipping transiting through the Panama Canal while reducing Chinese influence there, and his continued interest in acquiring Greenland. Skip to the news, if you want…

Panama Canal

Last year, Building our Future discussed the silent crisis in the Panama Canal—that increased maritime traffic, climate conditions, and last year’s El Niño caused the lakes that feed the canal to largely dry up. In response, the Panama Canal Authority restricted the number and size of ships using the critical passage. Ships unable to transit the canal have to tack on about three additional weeks of travel and face the Drake Passage or Magellan Strait. To be blunt, the impact on U.S. shipping is profound.

Trump’s interest in the canal and ensuring U.S. access is understandable. …