Trump didn't explain how such a takeover would be possible, given that the U.S. relinquished control of the canal to Panama in 1999 under a treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
Can someone please set up an AI to track everything he does and says, parse out the important bits, and give us the rundown? Then he can yell into the void all he wants and we can keep our sanity while staying informed.
If anything, these elections should teach us that we shouldn't be putting our faith in the political process. This generation is learning from experience why previous generations didn't care to discuss politics; it's all crapshoot and we are better off focusing on things we can have substantial impact on.
Honestly, I'd prolly die day 1, but as a Honduran, I'd probably consider volunteering to go to Panama and fight you guys if you do end up sending armed forces to take the Canal. Fuck you guys....I mean, not you specifically, or anyone here for that matter, but..... you know what I mean...
It will be not even remotely useful then. It is a easy task for defending force/Guerilla force to disable the canal in a way that it can not be used for years,maybe even decades.
Besides,none, absolutely none would insure ships going through it (ask the Egyptians during their various Suez crisis episodes).
It is actually not as useful. Panamax ships were getting made 1985. But then they figured out they could actually ship more with larger designs even going around the "long way". So the route is longer but ships are faster and larger enough that the "bandwidth" is higher than going through the canal.
The canal is also running out of water. It's supplied by a lake at the highest point and every time they run the locks they lose water. They put some pumps in to bring water back up but it's not enough to offset the loss.
From a Risk/HoI4 point of view it makes sense, take all territory down to Panama so you can place all your army stacks there so the front is real small.
But this would go as well as when Russia tried to invade it's neighbor: not good at all.
He wants isolationism in Ukraine and extreme interventionism in Panama...
The thing they have in common?
Imperialism.
Imperialists help other imperialists, then go on to do a little imperialising of their own.
Who is invading whom, again? Russia are the imperialists here. They could leave at any time. Everything that is happening to Russia, they are doing to themselves. Nobody in Europe or the US gives a shit about taking control of Russia or its land. They just want Russia to stay the fuck on its side of the border.
The point is to water down the idea of imperialism, which serves Russia and China.
The same way they tried with impeachment over everything, the same way they're watering down the concept of the pardon, the same way they watered down the term "coup".
From Columbia, yes, the United States took the Central American portion of Columbia and made Panama. Then built the Canal and leased it from Panama for 100 years.
Edit: there is a lot more to it but that's the gist of it.