From the beginning of his presidency, US President Donald Trump has made it explicitly clear that he intends to annex Canada and Greenland which he sees as vital to US interests. Trump has stated that he will not hesitate to use military force to annex Greenland, which is part of Denmark and a NATO ally. He recently announced that Denmark, Sweden, France, the UK, Norway, Holland, Germany and Finland are all set to face tariffs on goods exported to the US from 1 February 2026 until such countries support the US annexation of Greenland.
For a long time, US President Donald Trump has made it very clear that he has little regard for the Rule of Law. Indeed, only a few days ago he declared that “I don’t need international law” and that the only check on his power in the world stage is his “own morality” and his “own mind”. Such disregard was evident when he stated that the US will "take over" and "own" the Gaza Strip. He confirmed this when he ordered US military action against Venezuela and the capture of its head of state in what most likely constitutes a breach Article 2(4) of the United Nation Charter.
Actions matter but so do words. Trump’s rhetoric is not just some erratic comments made by an erratic individual. They underly a strategy. They are underpinned by a “might is right” view of the world. They are a core tenet of contemporary far right populist ideologies who in the name of pseudo “sovereignism” disregard international law, global and regional institutions, free trade and the International Liberal Order. They ignore the very institutions and legal doctrines that the US championed and had a pivotal role in creating. They seek to dissolve the very essence of the Western world. But populism is not an ideology per se, instead, it’s a strategy to obtain and retain power.
What many people in the West fail to understand is that the peace and prosperity that followed World War 2 did not just happen, it was not a product of luck or some miraculous intervention. It took place because wise political leaders and states acknowledged the unprecedented devastation of past wars and the need to never again repeat them. It was the result of the adoption of a Liberal International Order built on international rules, democracy, free markets and human rights. It was a result of a rule based international order that promoted accountability, cooperation and understanding amongst states.
If there is no international law, if there is no international court system then who determines what is right and wrong? If there are no agreed set principles of behavior, then what stops any state to unilaterally undertake any action it requires if it has the military power to do so. When Donald Trump states that Greenland is necessary to the US and therefore will annex it then what stops China doing the same with Taiwan, or Russia with the Baltic stated and Poland, and Turkey with Greece and Cyprus? When Trump states that just because “they (Denmark) had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn’t mean that they own the land” then what stops China or Japan to repeat this claim against Australia or New Zealand. One might argue that he is inviting them to do so.
Why is populism on the rise?
So why do many people in the US and the Western world subscribe to people like Donald Trump and his populist far right politics? Why is there growing mistrust to democratic institutions? There is no one simple answer.
Populism can be associated with crisis situations. The effects of the Global Financial crisis in 2008 cannot be underestimated. It still resonates today as it delivered a major blow to western economies and undermined faith in the established political and financial order. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the rise of populism. Temporary restriction on movement of people laws, the requirement of vaccinations and economic insecurity all gave rise to anti-systemic rhetoric and substantial misinformation.
The Hyper-globalization that took place in the 1990s and 2000s, whilst producing great benefits like economic growth and technological advancement, also gave rise to inequalities and deindustrialization in the Western world. Many blue-collar factory workers lost their jobs because of offshoring to China and other developing countries.
Finally, woke culture narrative and immigration issues alienated some people and provoked resistance. Populists sought to explore this by accusing cultural elites of being out of touch with common people. Many governments did not take the time to explain and to create a consensus for change, sometimes opting for a more radical approach. Often, those who disagreed were alienated and stigmatized by the very people that championed inclusion. Ultimately populists were able to hijack the public discourse, focusing on cultural grievances instead of wider critical issues.
Social media and tech oligarchs
The rise of populism has been substantially aided and encouraged by the drastic spread of social media. Whilst platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Tik Tok have given voice to all people, and in this regard democratized political participation, they have also enabled the spread of misinformation, extremist rhetoric and political manipulation. These platforms are controlled by a handful of billionaire tech oligarchs. In the name of “freedom of speech” they permit, if not outright encourage, such misinformation for their own personal agendas and political beliefs or for the agendas of the political elite they support or are supported by. Elons Musk’s open support of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party during the 2025 German elections and his appearance at their events is a testament to this.
Social media systematically amplify certain political content and systematically suppress others. Algorithms create echo chambers of false content. They do not seek to promote or to question the truthfulness of the content but rather are engagement driven by promoting trending counter narratives. Algorithms favor sensationalist content that promotes anger and fear since the engagement content (likes, shares) is most likely to go viral when it is anger driven and triggers an emotional reaction. Very rarely will ‘good news’ political stories become trending, or a positive political statement become viral. On the contrary politicians drumming up anger, hate and who invest in blame games, conspiracy theories and the politics of accusation become trending. By appealing to emotions, by dividing social groups, discrediting opponents and by using inflammatory language to challenge the legitimacy of institutions they drum up engagement. Engagement and views bring in money. They also serve political agendas.
Today, more than ever democracy is under attack. Western civilization is under attack. It is attacked from within by those that wish to see us return to the dark ages. It is attacked by social media moguls in the US that wish to interfere with European elections and support Far right populist parties like Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, Marie Le Pen's National Rally, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and Viktor Orbán in Hungary. What all these parties have in common is anti-European Union rhetoric. Similar interferences do and will continue take place in Canada and Australia. Unfortunately, there are no European or Australian owned social media platforms that have millions of users. We have seized control of our media and news agenda to the US.
Foreign state interference in Western countries elections
Ironically, to date, social media does not pose a major problem for countries like Russia, China and even Turkey as they are not full democracies. These countries either ban social media outright or heavily suppress it during periods of unrest. For example, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are banned in China and Russia whilst on many occasions they have been blocked and heavily censored in Turkey.
However, Russian bots can and do interfere in European, American and Australian elections, they “hack” algorithms through manipulation of emotional triggers, shape narratives, overstate problems and affect election results. But no Western country can reciprocate such action since social media is either banned or state controlled in Russia. It is striking that people in Greece or Australia can freely support Russia's invasion of Ukraine on social media, while those in Russia face restrictions on expressing opposition.
International law
International organizations like the United Nations, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court were all created after the end of the Second World War. They help prevent global conflicts, allow better cooperation and understanding between states, they adjudicate disputes and hear grievances. They promote and uphold human rights.
Whilst not perfect and on occasions, selectively used and abused by powerful states, the world is a better place today because of them. They require amendments and improvements but exist they must. Global anarchy and a “might is always right” approach to international relations is a return to the dark ages and the 1930’s world. We all know what follows.
Trumps moral view is moral chaos which explains his desire to abandon law in international affairs. As such, populists like Donald Trump need to be opposed in every country before it becomes too late. International law must be defended.
By Vasilios Giavris
Lawyer & Political Scientist
