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“51st State” Rhetoric should be a warning to all of the Americas [1]
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Date: 2025-02-02
The idea of Annexing Canada is unfortunately not new. Remember this thing called “Manifest Destiny”? It was a 19th-century ideology that held that the U.S. was destined to expand across the North American continent. This belief, along with a sense of cultural and racial superiority, fueled desires for territorial expansion, including the annexation of what was then known as British North America. It was in fact this expansionist ideology that spurred Northern colonialists to unite and form the Dominion of Canada.
Ultimately, the idea of annexing Canada faded as the two nations developed a stronger sense of separate identities and built a peaceful relationship.
While it may have faded, it never died out completely.
Today, Canada faces a real and dangerous threat as Trump and his handlers’ version of Manifest Destiny rises from the shadows and regains momentum. What, though, is the possible rationale for such a re-awakening? The multi-faceted answer provides some insight not only into the threats Canada faces, but also into the possible rationales that could be used on other sovereign states of the Americas.
NW passage — America has never acknowledged Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest passage along its Northern shores. With the NW passage becoming a viable shipping route due to climate change, control over its traffic is of great interest to America.
Natural resources — Canada’s huge landmass is rich in fresh water, lumber, and minerals including what is likely the richest precious metal deposit in the world — Sudbury, Ontario. Moreover, a recent survey discovered that Canada has possibly the largest uranium deposits in the world. Instead of purchasing these resources from its rightful sovereign owners, Trump and his exploitative Capitalist handlers want to simply extract them for free.
Lebensraum / Manifest Destiny — Lebensraum is the Nazi idea that a country quite simply needs more land to grow and prosper. The modern exploitative capitalist twist is that Land developers need more real estate to exploit. It’s linked to the Manifest Destiny belief that Americans are entitled to this land at the expense of supposedly inferior Canadians.
Legacy - Trump wants a Roman Triumph. What better way to avoid finding yourself listed as the worst president in US history than to capture the second largest country in the world and expand American Borders into the largest country in the world?
Retribution - during Trump 1.0, the Canadian government consistently pushed back against Trump, both on the regional and world stages. Part of the 51st state rhetoric probably comes from the simple impulse of vengeance.
Eliminating progressive influences and Liberal allies - Canada is one of many countries that is actively engaged in slowly moving the needle of its mixed economy further towards socialist ideals. Whether it’s healthcare, DEI, environmental regulations, Educational reform, minimum wage reform, union protections, and advocating for all of these on a global stage, Canada is actively engaged in progressive policy making. Canada we prides itself in its commitment to humanist ideals, which Trump and his handlers see as an unacceptable contrast to their facist ideology and a pernicious, subversive influence to have right on the border.
The threat of annexation may seem like a relic of the past, but as we've seen, the embers of Manifest Destiny still glow. From the strategic importance of the Northwest Passage to the lure of vast natural resources and the fascist need to quell progressive influences and ideas, the motivations for American expansionism remain potent.
We cannot afford to be complacent. It's time to recognize the signs, understand the driving forces behind this renewed interest in annexation, and actively defend Canada's sovereignty on both sides of the border. Research the issues, engage in informed discussions, contact your elected officials. The future of Canada depends on it, but so does the future of every American country; Canada may be the first domino, but if it falls, it won’t be the last.
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