<p>Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was known for wielding the ‘big stick’, which he used as a political strategy and economic weapon to maximise America’s national interests. In a speech made at the Minnesota State Fair on September 2, 1901, he famously said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” After President Donald Trump assumed office for a second term, his inaugural address and the executive orders he signed so far have drawn comparisons to Roosevelt’s ‘Big Stick Diplomacy’.</p>.<p>During Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure, the Spanish-American War of 1898 took place, signifying America’s emergence as an imperial power on the world stage. The Spanish were forced to relinquish claims to Cuba and cede sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the US. In the process, the US expanded territorially and economically. The outcome later was the Monroe Doctrine (1823), which sought to restrain European influence in the Americas.</p>.<p>The ‘big stick’ policy played out in the construction of the Panama Canal. The US backed Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903, with Roosevelt as the driving force behind the canal’s construction in the Central American Isthmus. This demonstrated US power in wielding the ‘big stick’ to open a new trade route linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. When the Colombian Senate rejected a treaty that would have granted the US a lease on the land across the Isthmus in exchange for $10 million and an annual $250,000 rental fee, Roosevelt decided to wield the big stick.</p>.Donald Trump's outlandish Gaza takeover plan triggers global debate.<p>The US supported the Panamanian revolution against Colombia, sending warships as part of gunboat diplomacy to prevent Colombia from sending additional troops. Roosevelt even recognised the new nation of Panama and offered the same financial terms and conditions that had been offered to Colombia. Panama became an American protectorate. The construction of the Panama Canal commenced in May 1904 and it was completed in 1914.</p>.<p>The message to America’s European counterparts was loud and clear — don’t mess up again with the Western hemisphere.</p>.<p>Trump’s second term has started with a bang and on expected lines. Like Roosevelt, Trump’s big stick diplomacy is backed by military power, coercive diplomacy and realpolitik. Trump’s statements and actions evoke memories of Roosevelt’s use of the big stick. Trump’s tariff war against Canada and Mexico is significant. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial called the 25% tariff “loony” and the “dumbest trade war in history”. Although it has now been paused, the Seattle Times’ David Horsey noted that “maybe he got it through his thick skull that this was a bad idea”. Threatening Mexico and Canada with tariffs, despite the existing trade agreement, highlights the brittleness of policies under Trump 2.0.</p>.<p>Regarding illegal migration, Trump’s actions were anticipated; respective countries must own up and take back their migrants. However, the manner in which they are being sent back is reminiscent of chained slaves. Perhaps Trump wants to convey a symbolic message, too.</p>.<p>American foreign policy under Trump is becoming increasingly imperialistic. Raymond Aron referred to the US as the ‘Imperial Republic’ in his famous 1970s book. Foreign policy cannot be conducted on erratic impulses. Trump’s threats towards Greenland, Canada as the 51st state, and the Panama Canal evoke ‘America’s Manifest Destiny’, a term coined by journalist John O’Sullivan while praising Texas’ annexation in 1845.</p>.<p>From a realpolitik perspective, acquiring Canada, Greenland, and controlling the Panama Canal matters to Trump due to China’s rapid ascent in key areas and influence in America’s western sphere. However, Trump’s language is full of threats, aggression and expansionism. William Fulbright called this outlook the ‘arrogance of power’, referencing America’s Vietnam fiasco.</p>.<p>Hence, if Marco Rubio says that Panama cannot charge US vessels passing through the Isthmus, there can be no better indicator of how Trump’s big stick diplomacy works. By this logic, Russia could lay claim to the Aswan Dam in Egypt, financed to the tune of $1 billion during Nikita Khrushchev’s era.</p>.<p>Roosevelt also wanted to make America great by speaking softly and carrying a big stick. In contrast, Trump wants to make America great again by speaking loudly and wielding a big stick. These are times of hard, blunt talk and unpredictability — the world better be prepared.</p>.<p>For both Roosevelt and Trump, the threat or actual use of the big stick, backed by military force, is significant. The “rules-based international order” faces an identity crisis. Trump’s inaugural address evokes America’s ‘Manifest Destiny’, American exceptionalism, and its ‘divine right’ to expand into North America. The Trump tsunami is on!</p>.<p><em><strong>(The writer is a professor in the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, Christ deemed to be university, Bengaluru)</strong></em></p>
<p>Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was known for wielding the ‘big stick’, which he used as a political strategy and economic weapon to maximise America’s national interests. In a speech made at the Minnesota State Fair on September 2, 1901, he famously said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” After President Donald Trump assumed office for a second term, his inaugural address and the executive orders he signed so far have drawn comparisons to Roosevelt’s ‘Big Stick Diplomacy’.</p>.<p>During Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure, the Spanish-American War of 1898 took place, signifying America’s emergence as an imperial power on the world stage. The Spanish were forced to relinquish claims to Cuba and cede sovereignty over Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the US. In the process, the US expanded territorially and economically. The outcome later was the Monroe Doctrine (1823), which sought to restrain European influence in the Americas.</p>.<p>The ‘big stick’ policy played out in the construction of the Panama Canal. The US backed Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903, with Roosevelt as the driving force behind the canal’s construction in the Central American Isthmus. This demonstrated US power in wielding the ‘big stick’ to open a new trade route linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. When the Colombian Senate rejected a treaty that would have granted the US a lease on the land across the Isthmus in exchange for $10 million and an annual $250,000 rental fee, Roosevelt decided to wield the big stick.</p>.Donald Trump's outlandish Gaza takeover plan triggers global debate.<p>The US supported the Panamanian revolution against Colombia, sending warships as part of gunboat diplomacy to prevent Colombia from sending additional troops. Roosevelt even recognised the new nation of Panama and offered the same financial terms and conditions that had been offered to Colombia. Panama became an American protectorate. The construction of the Panama Canal commenced in May 1904 and it was completed in 1914.</p>.<p>The message to America’s European counterparts was loud and clear — don’t mess up again with the Western hemisphere.</p>.<p>Trump’s second term has started with a bang and on expected lines. Like Roosevelt, Trump’s big stick diplomacy is backed by military power, coercive diplomacy and realpolitik. Trump’s statements and actions evoke memories of Roosevelt’s use of the big stick. Trump’s tariff war against Canada and Mexico is significant. A recent Wall Street Journal editorial called the 25% tariff “loony” and the “dumbest trade war in history”. Although it has now been paused, the Seattle Times’ David Horsey noted that “maybe he got it through his thick skull that this was a bad idea”. Threatening Mexico and Canada with tariffs, despite the existing trade agreement, highlights the brittleness of policies under Trump 2.0.</p>.<p>Regarding illegal migration, Trump’s actions were anticipated; respective countries must own up and take back their migrants. However, the manner in which they are being sent back is reminiscent of chained slaves. Perhaps Trump wants to convey a symbolic message, too.</p>.<p>American foreign policy under Trump is becoming increasingly imperialistic. Raymond Aron referred to the US as the ‘Imperial Republic’ in his famous 1970s book. Foreign policy cannot be conducted on erratic impulses. Trump’s threats towards Greenland, Canada as the 51st state, and the Panama Canal evoke ‘America’s Manifest Destiny’, a term coined by journalist John O’Sullivan while praising Texas’ annexation in 1845.</p>.<p>From a realpolitik perspective, acquiring Canada, Greenland, and controlling the Panama Canal matters to Trump due to China’s rapid ascent in key areas and influence in America’s western sphere. However, Trump’s language is full of threats, aggression and expansionism. William Fulbright called this outlook the ‘arrogance of power’, referencing America’s Vietnam fiasco.</p>.<p>Hence, if Marco Rubio says that Panama cannot charge US vessels passing through the Isthmus, there can be no better indicator of how Trump’s big stick diplomacy works. By this logic, Russia could lay claim to the Aswan Dam in Egypt, financed to the tune of $1 billion during Nikita Khrushchev’s era.</p>.<p>Roosevelt also wanted to make America great by speaking softly and carrying a big stick. In contrast, Trump wants to make America great again by speaking loudly and wielding a big stick. These are times of hard, blunt talk and unpredictability — the world better be prepared.</p>.<p>For both Roosevelt and Trump, the threat or actual use of the big stick, backed by military force, is significant. The “rules-based international order” faces an identity crisis. Trump’s inaugural address evokes America’s ‘Manifest Destiny’, American exceptionalism, and its ‘divine right’ to expand into North America. The Trump tsunami is on!</p>.<p><em><strong>(The writer is a professor in the Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, Christ deemed to be university, Bengaluru)</strong></em></p>