US expansionism poses threat to world order

Washington's foreign policy shift risks triggering wave of land grabs: Experts

The US administration's revival of territorial ambitions — a central feature of its foreign policy agenda — poses a significant threat to the post-World War II rules-based international order. Experts warn that such US expansionism risks triggering a wave of international land grabs.

On April 9, Panama reaffirmed that the United States recognizes its sovereignty over the Panama Canal, despite the increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Washington. The announcement came as the two countries signed agreements to expand US military training in the Central American country.

Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump floated proposals to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal — by military force if necessary — as part of a broader effort to bolster US national security. He also suggested transforming Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East" and floated the idea of annexing Canada as the 51st US state. One of his earliest executive orders even renamed the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America".