President-elect Donald Trump is making news even before assuming the presidency. This is not surprising because he is known for his mercurial and unpredictable stances on many global as well as bilateral issues. Trump has already indicated that he would revisit many of the international agreements that do not serve America’s interests. He has also threatened to increase tariffs on imports from many countries that are against America’s economic interests. Such tough decisions could damage America’s relations with its trading partners. But that is Trump for the world to understand and learn to deal with.

Even before taking office on January 20, Trump has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, revived calls to buy Greenland and even joked about annexing Canada, leaving the world guessing once again whether he is serious or not. Experts opine that Trump’s rhetoric could be a ‘message’ for China, which has increased its influence in Latin America and the Arctic. By such pronouncements, Trump even before returning to the Oval office has challenged the sovereignty of some of America’s closest allies, thereby underscoring his credentials as global disrupter-in-chief. Analysts have begun to interpret that Trump would be harsher on American friends than on adversaries such as Russia and China. Trump has floated the idea of the US buying the vast strategic island of Greenland, a Danish territory, which he also had stated during his first term in office.

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Now he has repeated the idea when naming PayPal cofounder Ken Howery as his ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark and said “ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity” for US national security. Howery said he would work to deepen the bonds between........

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