Dawn of a new age of imperialism?
Russia's war against Ukraine, China's threatening stance in the South China Sea and vis-à-vis Taiwan, and now Donald Trump's statements regarding Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada have sparked fears that the world could be on the verge of a new battle for spheres of influence reminiscent of 19th century expansionism and colonialism. Europe's press discusses the role Europe should play in such a scenario.
New edition of the Great Game in the Arctic
Europe must take action against the major powers' appetite for territory, writes historian Rui Tavares in Expresso:
“The 21st century is like the 19th century for Trump, Putin (and Xi Jinping). This time the 'Great Game' is taking place in the Arctic. It's a world ruled by men who say they don't believe in global warming but are in fact counting on opening up new routes and gaining access to new minerals as the ice melts – and it's melting fast. ... If the small and medium-sized countries don't show they are serious about their unity, they'll be gobbled up by the revisionist superpowers. No, Trump's US is not an ally of Denmark or Europe. But Europe is only powerless if it wants to be.”
Use the power of European laws to resist
El País calls on the EU to show united resistance:
“Europeans should avoid negotiating with Trump separately: they would all end up weakened, even if they gained a temporary advantage. The US president-elect wants to abolish Nato and put the EU institutions out of action on the international stage in order to do away with Europe's entire strategic autonomy – he and the Kremlin have the same agenda here. He knows that it is precisely the EU's normative empire that can stop those who flout international laws. ... A unilateral caving-in won't be helpful in the face of this new imperialist idea. Only the unity of the 27 and functioning institutions and treaties can guarantee the future of the EU.”
The spectre of triumphalism looms large
Trump's statements about taking over Greenland and the Panama Canal do not bode well, Népszava underlines:
“The biggest danger is that crazy ideas become an accepted part of public discourse. ... Hatred takes hold of people's souls almost imperceptibly; the idea of triumphalism, of conquering others, can become attractive to the broad masses. Instead of US politicians unanimously rejecting this statement, many Republicans are competing to see who can pay the best compliment to the militaristic proposal of the 'peace president'. We know from history that this will lead to nothing good.”
The annexation race
Zeit Online columnist Michael Thumann sees a new trend:
“The size of a country's territory as a measure of national success is returning. The economy and the military are becoming the means of constant expansion ... For rulers like Putin and Trump what counts is the 'territorial kilometre', the square kilometres on the map combined with the question: 'Who has the most? The answer: Vladimir Putin. And yet he relaunched the conquests and annexations race in 2014. If Trump now follows the same logic, it will be the dawn of a new global age of imperialism. Perhaps similar, but not exactly the same as in the 19th century when the European superpowers competed for more and more territory around the world and colonised foreign continents.”
Place names as symbols of power
Donald Trump has proposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America". The proposal will usher in a battle over online platforms and their maps, geographer Frédéric Giraut warns in Le Monde:
“It will not have escaped anyone's attention that Donald Trump's territorial claims have been accompanied by an offensive by his ally Elon Musk against collaborative platforms, in particular Wikipedia, which are likely to stand in the way of the president-elect's goals in the area of knowledge and shared knowledge. ... As a result, toponymy [the study of place names] appears to be at the forefront of a vast imperialist project with immeasurable consequences and, if taken seriously, could play an essential role as a warning signal.”