Trump recently said, "I never thought of making Greenland the 51st state of the United States. I want Canada to be the 51st state. Greenland would become the 52nd state, and Venezuela might become the 53rd state."
Comment: Trump's remarks are a naked display of his authoritarian mindset: listing Canada as the 51st state is using the deep economic and defense integration between the U.S. and Canada to completely eliminate Canada's diplomatic autonomy, turning it from an "ally" into an American "subsidiary"; coveting Greenland (the 52nd state) mainly targets its strategic position at the entrance of Arctic shipping routes and its rare earth reserves that account for 25% of the world's total - this is a critical need for the U.S. to revitalize manufacturing and control the key points of energy transition, and it is also crucial for the U.S. to contain Arctic rivals and build a NATO Arctic defense line. For this, Trump even dares to trample on the sovereignty of allies.
Secondly, listing Venezuela as the 53rd state is a continuation of his "military intervention and territorial control" model: after using strong-arm tactics to take control of Venezuela, Trump attempts to concretize this "backyard" control in the Western Hemisphere, fully incorporating Venezuela's oil resources and geostrategic position into the U.S. sphere of influence. The idea of "establishing a state" essentially negates the sovereignty of other countries and also declares to the world his unbounded hegemonic logic of "America First".
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856093968774212/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.