WASHINGTON — What drives President-elect Donald Trump’s determination to obtain Greenland and the Panama Canal, even suggesting he might resort to military force to accomplish this?

The brief answer is that Trump seeks to gain an upper hand in global politics against what he perceives to be aggressive ambitions from China and Russia, according to two former national security officials from Trump’s administration speaking to YSL News.

However, Trump’s motivations are significantly shaped by an aspect he rarely discusses: climate change and its escalating effects on America’s security.

Since his first term, Trump has shown a keen interest in the sparsely populated arctic territory of Greenland. Recently, as he readies for his upcoming term, he has intensified his focus on both Greenland and the Panama Canal.

On Tuesday, he made headlines by being non-committal about whether he would use military or economic pressure to seize control of the Panama Canal, currently managed by Panama, and Greenland, which operates with considerable autonomy under the Kingdom of Denmark.

“We need these territories for our economic security,” Trump asserted at a press conference held at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.

He emphasized the importance of the Panama Canal: “It is essential for our nation.” He also remarked, “We require Greenland for our national security.”

Greenland: the key to the once-elusive Northwest Passage

Regarding Greenland, Trump commented that he believes Denmark “should relinquish it, as we need it for our national security… I mean protecting the free world.”

“It’s clear when you look out; you see Chinese and Russian ships everywhere,” Trump stressed. “We can’t let that occur.”

John Bolton, who was responsible for overseeing Greenland during Trump’s first term, stated that U.S. interest in the island spans over a century.

“Trump wasn’t the pioneer in considering Greenland,” said Bolton, who also served as Trump’s first National Security Advisor in an interview. “The U.S. has long been concerned with it.”

To grasp Trump’s attraction to Greenland, Bolton suggested looking at a world map from the North Pole perspective.

Bolton highlighted that four NATO nations – the U.S., Canada, Denmark, and Norway – hold claims over a significant portion of the Arctic Circle, while Russia dominates the rest.

Although the U.S. maintains a military presence in Greenland, having greater authority over the island would help the U.S. safeguard its interests in the area, particularly vital shipping routes, from the encroachment of Russia and, more recently, China.

Bolton explained that as climate change melts ice across the Arctic Circle, China has become more assertive in the region. This shift makes the once fabled Northwest Passage – a sought-after, shorter shipping route between North America, Europe, and Asia for the last 300 years – now a tangible reality.

The progressive emergence of the Northwest Passage has opened up routes for more military and commercial vessels to navigate near the North Pole in recent years, potentially cutting their travel distances by significant margins.

“The ownership of defensive capabilities in the Arctic is pivotal,” Bolton noted, “especially with global warming transforming the Northwest Passage from myth to reality and with China aspiring to enhance its global influence.”

‘Who knows what lies beneath?’

Additionally, there is significant interest in the abundant natural resources believed to be located under the Arctic Ocean and within Greenland itself.

“It’s largely unexplored. Formerly, people assumed it was entirely covered in ice. But as the ice recedes, just like in the Russian tundra, who can say what rests under there?” Bolton remarked.

During his first term, officials in Trump’s government speculated that Greenland might host essential “rare earth” materials that are becoming accessible due to the ice melt associated with climate change.

Securing these resources would significantly reduce America’s dependence on China, which holds a vast majority of the world’s supply of these essential materials used in advanced technologies like computers and smartphones, as noted by both Bolton and another administration member, Charles Kupperman.

“While I’m not an expert in that area, it’s clear that we have a strong national security interest there,” Bolton stated.

The Panama Canal: ‘China is effectively taking control’

On Tuesday, Trump criticized former President Jimmy Carter for handing over control of the Panama Canal to the government of Panama has taken control of the 51-mile waterway built by the U.S. with significant investment in both money and manpower, transforming it from an infested swamp.

Trump highlighted that over time, China has effectively gained dominance over this crucial maritime route, granting Beijing a significant economic and military edge over the U.S.

“We essentially handed it over for just $1 but had a deal that they would treat us fairly, which they’re not doing. Our ships pay more in fees than those from other nations. Our Navy is charged more than other navies,” Trump stated on Tuesday.

Trump asserted that the primary beneficiary of this situation is China, which he claimed is “essentially taking it over.”

“China is managing the Panama Canal,” Trump stated, remarking that it “generates substantial revenue from one of the most profitable infrastructures ever created, as ships are continually lined up from Florida and the fees are staggering—ranging from half a million to a million dollars per ship.”

Trump did not highlight that the backlog of ships is primarily caused by climate change.

A February report from the United Nations indicated that transits through the Panama Canal “have fallen by 49 percent from its peak, due to reduced water levels caused by a severe drought related to climate change.”

‘It’s our canal, we paid for it and Carter got rid of it’

Kupperman, who served as Trump’s deputy national security adviser during his first administration, concurred that China’s extensive investment in canal infrastructure presents a potential security risk for the U.S.

“The Chinese clearly have a strategy to establish a strong presence in the Western hemisphere, not only in Panama but throughout South America and other regions,” Kupperman informed YSL News.

Increased U.S. influence over the canal would assist the next Trump administration in countering China’s attempts to expand its influence across the Western hemisphere, as well as enhance U.S. leverage in global trade and military strategy, according to Kupperman and Bolton.

Kupperman has been involved with Panama Canal issues since working on Ronald Reagan’s first presidential campaign in 1980.

At that time, he noted, Reagan successfully challenged Carter partially by criticizing his agreement to transfer control of the Canal to Panama.

“He argued it’s our canal, we financed it and Carter relinquished control,” Kupperman recalled. “So it was a potent political statement in 1980, and I believe Trump is trying to revive the sentiments from when the canal was initially handed over to Panama.”