Following the U.S. special military operation in Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump has issued a series of escalatory warnings against Colombia and Greenland, signaling a more aggressive foreign policy posture while also taking Iran, Cuba & Mexico in the crosshairs.
Threats Against Colombia
1. Targeting Leadership: Trump labeled Colombian President Gustavo Petro a "sick man" and accused him of "making cocaine and selling it to the United States".2. Military Intervention: When asked by reporters if he would order a military operation in Colombia, Trump responded, "It sounds good to me," adding that the current leadership would not be in power "for very long".
3. Drug Trafficking Allegations: The administration justified these threats by claiming Colombia has become the "epicenter of the world's cocaine trade" and added the country to a list of nations failing to cooperate in the war on drugs, leading to slashed U.S. aid.
4. Colombia's Response: President Petro rejected the allegations as "slander" and warned he would "take up arms" to defend his country's sovereignty.
Threats Against Greenland
1. Renewed Annexation Claims: Trump reiterated his long-standing desire for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, citing national security concerns and the presence of Russian and Chinese ships in the Arctic.2. Special Envoy: He appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland, with Landry vowing to help "make Greenland a part of the U.S."
3. Military Force Not Ruled Out: Trump pointedly did not rule out the use of military force to secure jurisdiction over the mineral-rich island, suggesting it was too strategic to remain under Danish control.
Other countries threatened by Trump with use of force include Cuba, Iran & Mexico.
International Condemnation
1. Denmark: Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated Trump has "no right to annex" the territory and urged the U.S. to stop threatening a NATO ally.2. Greenland: Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen dismissed the annexation talk as a "fantasy" and insisted the island is not for sale.
3. European Union: The EU expressed "full solidarity" with Denmark and Greenland against U.S. threats.
4. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, too, has raised deep concerns about the use of force by America against Venezuela, while terming it as a dangerous precedent for international relations, in a special session of the United Nations requested by Colombia...
