Trump's recent declaration regarding the Panama Canal has sparked international controversy. While seemingly outlandish, the article argues that Trump's statement could be a strategic move to appeal to American nationalism and galvanize his Republican base. Drawing parallels to Ronald Reagan's successful use of the Panama Canal issue in the 1970s, the author suggests that Trump is hoping to exploit lingering sentiments about American ownership of the canal. However, the article acknowledges the significant challenge of convincing Panama to alter its shipping fees and notes the Panamanian government's defiant response to Trump's threats.
OAKVILLE, ONT.–Whenever I think of Donald Trump , the first words that usually spring to mind are “agent of chaos.” That’s to say, one of Trump’s defining characteristics is that he’s totally unpredictable. You never know what outlandish thing he’ll say or which part of the world he’ll offend or what protocol he’ll break. His talk about annexing Canada with “economic force” or his musings about buying Greenland are the types of comments that certainly fall into the 'chaotic' category.
Yet, that said, there are also occasions when his seemingly “out of left-field” comments are actually based on a solid political foundation. In other words, sometimes there’s a method to Trump’s apparent madness. A good case in point is his recent controversial comment about re-asserting American control over the Panama Canal. Saying the canal fees are too high and that Americans are getting “ripped off,” Trump declared that, if things don’t change, “We will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.” On the surface, such saber-rattling over the canal seems to be a needlessly provocative strategy, one which will only spark cries of “American imperialism” from the international community. But from a domestic political point of view, it could be viewed as a savvy move. Why do I say that? Well, we need to keep in mind that the strategically important Panama Canal was previously—until the late 1990s when it was handed over to the Panamanians—American-controlled property. That means Trump’s tough talk about the canal will likely appeal to a sense of nationalism, which usually benefits politicians. Simply put, many Americans probably believe that since the Panama Canal was American in the past, it can and maybe should be American again in the future. Indeed, the issue of the Panama Canal’s ownership has long been a hot spot in American politics. In fact, its importance as an issue can be traced back to the Republican presidential primaries of the mid-1970s, when Ronald Reagan was battling against then-president Gerald Ford for the party's nomination. At the time, Reagan had not yet defined himself or his political brand, so he needed an issue to rally Republicans to his banner. Luckily for him, his pollster did find such an issue: the Panama Canal. It turns out many Republicans at the time were livid at how their government was negotiating a treaty to give up American ownership. Thus, to attract their support, Reagan decided to make this his top issue; he promised to stop the giveaway of the Panama Canal. It almost worked. Fuelled by his “Panama Canal strategy,” Reagan went from being a long-shot candidate to narrowly losing to Ford. Of course, that wasn’t the end of Reagan’s story as his strong stance on this issue firmly established him in the minds of Republicans as their true champion, which helped to eventually propel him to the U.S. presidency. Anyway, my point is Trump is likely hoping that, like Reagan, he can capitalize politically on the Panama Canal, an issue that likely still lingers in the minds of nationalistic Americans. It could, at least, galvanize Trump’s Republican base. Whether or not Trump’s nationalistic chest-thumping will actually convince the Panamanian government to alter its shipping fees is an entirely different question. In fact, Panama has met Trump’s threats with defiance, with its president declaring “when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.” Of course, that’s the way of politics: nationalism on one side triggers nationalism on the other. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant.
DONALD TRUMP PANAMA CANAL AMERICAN NATIONALISM RONALD REAGAN POLITICAL STRATEGY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
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