‘Hell will break loose’: Trump hints at military moves in Mideast, Americas

Donald Trump, the president-elect of the United States, made hints about possible military intervention in the Americas and the Middle East during a press conference in Florida.

Trump spoke from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, a day after Congress officially certified his victory in November’s general elections. Additionally, the news conference comes just 13 days before Trump’s scheduled January 20 oath of office.

The president-elect addressed a number of domestic issues, promising to reverse environmental restrictions and pardon supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

However, his most important remarks concerned foreign policy. Trump blatantly envisioned an expansive expansionist agenda that would have an impact on all of the world’s nations.

He repeated his desire&nbsp, for US control of the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada, while emphasising that “all hell will break out” if captives held in Gaza are not released before he takes office.

Trump was asked if he would oppose the use of military might or economic coercion to overthrow Danish forces in a recent press conference. He refused.

“I’m not going to commit to that”, Trump said. The canal, an important trade route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was then chosen by him. “It might be that you’ll have to do something. The Panama Canal is vital to our country”.

He later added, “We need Greenland for national security purposes”.

The possibility of the sprawling Arctic island becoming under US control has been blocked by both the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark.

In addition, the Panamanian government has maintained that the canal will continue to be Panamanian as it has been since the US relinquished control in 1999 as a result of a treaty that was struck by late US President Jimmy Carter.

Eyes on Canada

Trump also made bold statements regarding his plans for one of the US’s largest trading partners, Canada.

The country shares a 8, 891-kilometre (5, 525-mile) border with the US, and Trump in recent weeks has suggested it should become the US’s 51st state.

But during Tuesday’s press conference, he ruled out using military force against Canada, which has traditionally been a close ally — though not “economic force”.

“You get rid of the artificially drawn line, and you take a look at what it looks like, and it would also be much better for national security”, Trump said, referring to the US-Canada border.

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, responded to the possibility quickly on social media.

“There isn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that Canada would become part of the United States”, Trudeau wrote.

Trump, in addition, reiterated his intention to impose “substantial tariffs” on Mexico and Canada if they do not agree to demands to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking into the US.

Despite warnings from economists that trade wars could smear heavily interconnected North American industries, Trump had previously threatened to impose 25% tariffs on the two nations.

Trump said the Gulf of Mexico should be called the “Gulf of America,” making another reference to changing the regional map. It has a “beautiful ring to it”, he quipped.

“Hell will break out.”

Trump spent a lot of time discussing Israel’s conflict in Gaza, which has claimed more than 45,885 Palestinian lives and raised concerns about grave human rights violations.

The president-elect called his nominee to be Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, up to the podium to give an update on negotiations.

Witkoff, a real-estate investor with no foreign policy experience, had been part of recent ceasefire talks in the Middle East.

In apparently impromptu remarks, Witkoff said, “I think that we’ve had some really great progress, and I’m really hopeful that by the inaugural we’ll have some good things to announce on behalf of the president”.

The president-elect, however, emphasized the release of Hamas’ remaining captives following the deadly Israeli attack on October 8, 2023. Israel estimates about 100 people remain in Hamas custody.

If Hamas doesn’t release captives by the time he takes office, Trump pledged that “all hell will break out” in the Middle East.

Despite increasing military aid to Israel, some observers have interpreted Trump’s statement as a threat of potential US military action in Gaza.

When asked to explain what he meant at the news conference, Trump baulked: “Do I have to define it for you? If those hostages aren’t returning, then everything will start to happen.

“If they’re not back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East, and it will not be good for Hamas, and it will not be good, frankly, for anyone. There will be no end to hell. I don’t have to say anymore, but that’s what it is”, he said.

Syria policy

When asked about the US’s plans for a military presence in Syria, Trump responded in a typically cryptic manner. According to the Pentagon, there are still about 2, 000 US personnel stationed in the country as part of a counterterrorism operation called ISIL (ISIS).

After Bashar al-Assad’s rule was overruled in early December, there have been questions about US involvement in Syria for a long time.

US troops have supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria since 2014, as a multi-pronged civil war unfolded in the country.

But that backing put Washington at odds with its NATO ally Turkiye, which considers members of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) — the bulk of the SDF’s fighters — to be “terrorists”.

Turkiye, by contrast, has supported the rebel groups that ultimately overthrew al-Assad.

Trump made a point of allowing the US to leave Syria during his first term. And he even stated on his Truth Social platform that the US should “nothing to do” with Syria as recently as December.

But in Tuesday’s news conference, he opted instead for ambiguity about the future of US involvement in Syria.

“I won’t tell you that, because that’s part of a military strategy”, he said.

Instead, he heaped praise on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he called a “friend” and a “very smart guy”.

“He sent his people in there]Syria] through different forms and different names, and they went in, they took over, and that’s the way it is”, Trump said.

Some analysts believe that Trump may be more willing to hand over anti-ISIL operations to Turkiye than previous US presidents.

NATO to pay more

Trump also weighed in on other NATO allies, arguing that the 32 members of the transatlantic alliance should spend 5% more of their GDP in defense.

That is a significant improvement over the current two-percent minimum goal.

Trump has frequently accused alliance members of underpaying them and suggested he step down if the spending does not rise.

“They can all afford it, but they should be at five percent not two percent”, Trump said.

“If they’re paying their bills, and if I think they’re treating us fairly, the answer is absolutely I’d stay with NATO”, he added. However, he warned that if he doesn’t think the US is treated fairly, he might withdraw his support.

In one anecdote, he compared NATO allies to debtors delinquent on their bills: “If you are delinquent, we will not protect you”.

The threat comes as NATO’s significance grows as a result of Russia’s massive Ukrainian invasion, which started in February 2022.

Source: Aljazeera