Military and Economic Threats Against Greenland and Panama Canal Sovereignty
The administration threatened military and economic coercion to annex Greenland and reclaim the Panama Canal, with the Pentagon developing actual invasion plans. Greenland annexation threats were renewed in May 2026 — Trump told NBC the US 'will get' Greenland and refused to rule out military force.
Record summary
Grade
Grade 2 of 5: Major Abuse of Power
Executive actions that exceed constitutional authority, circumvent statutory constraints, or weaponize government institutions for political ends. Scale and definitions
- Status
- Ongoing
- Incident date
- Record updated
- Location
- Panama City, Panama
- Category
- Military Overreach
- Legal posture
- Executive action
- War-crime classification
- Potential
- ICC relevance
- No
- Sources
- 5 cited
- Stable ID
greenland-panama-sovereignty-threats- Legal basis
- UN Charter Article 2(4) prohibition on threat of force, principle of self-determination (Article 1(2)), Torrijos-Carter Treaties (Panama sovereignty), Rome Statute Article 8bis (crime of aggression)
- Posture note
- No military action has been taken. Trump partially walked back Greenland threats at Davos in January 2026, then renewed them in a May 2026 NBC interview, again refusing to rule out military force. The Panama Canal military planning represents concrete steps toward potential action but has not been executed. No court proceedings. Greenland annexation threats remain active US policy as of May 2026.
- Victims
- People of Greenland, sovereignty of Denmark, sovereignty of Panama, international rules-based order
- Alleged responsible parties
- President Trump, Pentagon, US Southern Command
Key points
- Trump refused to rule out military or economic force to annex Greenland and threatened a 25% tariff on EU goods unless Denmark ceded the territory.
- The Pentagon developed military options for the Panama Canal ranging from closer cooperation to outright invasion, per NBC News reporting.
- Seven European leaders issued a joint statement affirming 'sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders' in response to the Greenland threats.
- Trump partially walked back threats at Davos in January 2026, pledging not to use force or tariffs for Greenland acquisition.
- Legal analysts at EJIL Talk and Just Security concluded both sets of threats violated the UN Charter's prohibition on the threat of force.
- In May 2026, Trump renewed explicit Greenland annexation threats in an NBC interview, stating the US 'will get' Greenland and again refusing to rule out military force — reversing the partial Davos walk-back.
What Happened
Beginning upon taking office in January 2025, President Trump made explicit threats of military and economic force against the sovereignty of two territories: Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark) and the Panama Canal. These were not idle rhetoric -- in the case of Panama, the Pentagon was directed to develop actual military options.
Greenland
Trump renewed his first-term interest in acquiring Greenland, but escalated from a diplomatic inquiry to explicit threats. He refused to rule out the use of military or economic force to achieve the acquisition, and threatened a 25% tariff on EU goods unless Denmark agreed to cede the territory.
The threats provoked a strong international response. Seven European leaders issued a joint statement explicitly affirming "sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders" -- a pointed reference to the UN Charter principles that Trump's statements appeared to violate.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026, Trump partially walked back the threats, pledging not to use military force or tariffs for Greenland acquisition. However, the initial statements had already been made and their legal implications documented by international law scholars.
Panama Canal
Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare military plans to "take back" the Panama Canal, despite the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties having transferred sovereignty to Panama. According to NBC News reporting, US Southern Command drew up plans ranging from closer military cooperation to outright invasion.
The Torrijos-Carter Treaties represent a settled international agreement negotiated and ratified by the United States. Any military action to retake the Canal would violate not only the UN Charter but the specific treaty obligations the United States undertook.
International Law Analysis
UN Charter Article 2(4)
The UN Charter prohibits not only the use of force but also the threat of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Legal analysts at EJIL Talk (the blog of the European Journal of International Law) published a detailed analysis concluding that Trump's statements about Greenland constituted threats of force prohibited under the Charter.
Self-Determination
Both Greenland and Panama have clear self-determination rights. Greenland's people have expressed no interest in being acquired by the United States; Panama's sovereignty over the Canal was established through a bilateral treaty process. Any coerced transfer would violate the principle of self-determination enshrined in Article 1(2) of the UN Charter.
Crime of Aggression
Had the threats been carried out, they could constitute the crime of aggression under Article 8bis of the Rome Statute -- defined as the planning, preparation, initiation, or execution of an act of aggression by a person in a position to exercise control over the political or military action of a state. The Pentagon's development of invasion plans for Panama represents concrete preparation in this direction.
Just Security Analysis on Panama
Just Security published a detailed legal analysis titled "Ambiguity Is Not Authorization: The Neutrality Treaty Does Not Justify U.S. Military Intervention in Panama," directly addressing and rejecting the administration's apparent legal theory that the 1977 Neutrality Treaty provision allowing the US to act to keep the Canal open could justify military intervention.
Why This Entry Is Marked a Major Concern
- Threats of force against sovereign territories are prohibited under the UN Charter regardless of whether they are carried out
- The Pentagon developed actual military invasion plans for Panama, moving beyond rhetoric to concrete planning
- The Torrijos-Carter Treaties are settled international law; repudiating them through military action would undermine the entire framework of international treaty obligations
- European allies responded with a formal joint statement, indicating the seriousness with which the international community treated the threats
- The partial walkback at Davos mitigated but did not eliminate the damage; the threats had already been made, the military planning had already occurred, and the norm against threatening sovereign territories had already been eroded
- The precedent of a major power threatening to annex allies' territories and seize treaty-protected infrastructure undermines the rules-based international order that the US itself helped build
International law engaged
| Instrument | Provision | What it protects or prohibits |
|---|---|---|
| UN Charter | Article 2(4) | Prohibition on the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state |
| UN Charter | Article 1(2) | Principle of self-determination of peoples |
| Torrijos-Carter Treaties (1977) | — | Recognized Panama's sovereignty over the Canal Zone; any US military action would violate the treaty framework |
| Rome Statute | Article 8bis | Crime of aggression -- use of armed force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political independence of another state |
Independent legal analysis
Sequence of events
-
Trump renews claims to Greenland and Panama Canal
Upon taking office, Trump renewed his interest in acquiring Greenland and retaking control of the Panama Canal, making public statements about both.
-
Trump threatens 25% tariff on EU over Greenland
Trump threatened a 25% tariff on EU goods unless Denmark agreed to cede Greenland to the United States.
-
Pentagon directed to develop Panama Canal military options
Trump directed the Pentagon to prepare military plans to 'take back' the Panama Canal, with US Southern Command drawing up options ranging from closer cooperation to outright invasion.
-
Seven European leaders issue joint statement
Seven European leaders issued a joint statement affirming 'sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders' in direct response to the Greenland threats.
-
Trump partially walks back Greenland threats at Davos
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump pledged not to use military force or tariffs to acquire Greenland, partially walking back the earlier threats.
-
Trump renews Greenland military threats in NBC interview
In an NBC News interview, Trump stated the US 'will get' Greenland and again refused to rule out military force to acquire the territory — reversing his January Davos walk-back. Trump described Greenland as a 'national security necessity' and said American control of the island was inevitable.
Sources
- The Legal Debate Surrounding Greenland and Denmark: Unpacking Donald Trump's Statements — EJIL Talk archived ✓
- Ambiguity Is Not Authorization: The Neutrality Treaty Does Not Justify U.S. Military Intervention in Panama — Just Security archived ✓
- Pentagon developing military options for Panama Canal — NBC News archived ✓
- American hybrid warfare against Greenland during the second Trump administration — Wikipedia archived ✓
- Greenland and Denmark say sovereignty is 'red line' — Al Jazeera archived ✓