• ‘One is entitled to fear that the course of this administration is going to be disastrous for the US and dangerous for the world at large,’ warns ex-diplomat

• Trump’s Gaza proposal is ‘an open invitation’ for Israeli annexation, his administration is also ‘continuing to tolerate, if not encourage, ethnic cleansing in the West Bank,’ says Adams

GENEVA

The second term of President Donald Trump has ushered in dramatic shifts in both American foreign and domestic policy, reflecting a strong – and at times alarming – executive approach and a recalibration of international alliances.

❝The notion of having Palestinians evacuated to Jordan or Egypt or wherever is obviously an open invitation to Israelis to annex Gaza❞

Trump’s actions and declaration of imperialist ambitions are driven mostly by his ‘impulse towards authoritarianism,’ says Charles Adams,… pic.twitter.com/Qk1Bl47gfu

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) February 14, 2025

From changes in immigration policy to adjustments in US engagement with global institutions, Trump’s early actions in office signal a significant departure from traditional diplomacy that has left allies uneasy and global institutions in disarray.

“I think it is driven mostly by President Trump’s impulse towards authoritarianism,” Charles Adams, former US ambassador to Finland, told Anadolu, describing the president’s approach to foreign policy.

“His declaration of imperialist ambitions for the US … was not the topic of any of his campaign pronouncements. This has been something that he prominently made the topic of his preoccupations in the first two weeks.”

Trump’s return to power has been marked by erratic and provocative declarations, including reviving discussions about acquiring Greenland, retaking the Panama Canal, and even suggesting that Canada become the 51st US state.

Adams dismissed these ideas as ludicrous.

“It’s nonsense, absurd. It will never happen. But this flurry of executive orders has created chaos, confusion, and dismay,” he said.

“Most of them are plainly unconstitutional and beyond the powers of the executive. These first two weeks have truly been a blizzard of absurdity.”

‘Disastrous for the US and dangerous for the world’​​​​​​​

Many critics argue that Trump has become even more dangerous in his second term, a sentiment Adams strongly agreed with.

“In his first term, there were quite a number of adults in the room who were in a position to discourage some of his wild or crazier impulses and deter them,” he said.

“This time around, there are no adults in the room. There are loyalists, cultists – by and large incompetent for the positions to which they’ve been assigned.

“One is entitled to fear that the course of this administration is going to be disastrous for the US and dangerous for the world at large.”

Trump’s hardline stance on immigration has resurfaced with renewed intensity. His executive orders include increased militarization of the southern border and the reinstatement of third-party hosting arrangements for undocumented immigrants.

Adams warned that such policies could strain relations with European allies and international organizations like the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Perhaps the most alarming development, according to the former ambassador, is Trump’s proposal to reopen Guantanamo Bay as a holding center for deported migrants.

“What I find bone-chillingly dangerous is the notion of reopening Guantanamo Bay as a kind of gulag, ostensibly for the housing of deported migrants, but why not, ultimately, as a place to send political adversaries,” he said, drawing parallels to Soviet-era Siberian prison camps.

Greenland: ‘Absolutely nothing to do with America’

Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland has once again stirred diplomatic tensions between the US, Denmark, and NATO allies.

In his first term, he floated the idea of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, citing its strategic military importance and vast untapped natural resources. Now, his administration appears to be reviving the notion, despite firm rejections from Danish and Greenlandic officials.

The Siumut party, part of Greenland’s ruling coalition, has even said it plans to hold a vote on independence after the March 11 general elections.

Adams believes Greenlanders will back independence and overwhelmingly reject the idea of becoming part of the US.

“I expect that the 59,000 Greenlanders will vote in favor of independence, and more power to them,” he said.

“Will they thereupon rejoice in the idea of becoming the 51st American state? Absolutely not,” Adams added, citing a recent poll where 85% of Greenlanders said they “want absolutely nothing to do with America.”

Regarding why Trump’s proposals are not meeting with strong criticism, Adams said most people see them as “profoundly preposterous” with no “real prospect of being followed up with action.”

“That’s how I feel about what he’s had to say about Canada and Greenland and Panama. I don’t lose a whole lot of sleep over that because it is profoundly absurd as an idea and simply not going to happen,” he said.

However, Adams made a stark distinction when it came to Trump’s plan to reopen Guantanamo Bay as a detention center for deported migrants.

“This Guantanamo Bay gulag idea … perhaps is easier or within his actual authority to cause, to come into being – which, as I said, is a bone-chilling idea.”

Ceding space to geopolitical rivals

Trump’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement for a second time is significantly reshaping America’s role in global governance, according to the former ambassador.

Adams warned that these moves would weaken US influence and provide opportunities for geopolitical rivals to fill the void, while also putting many American officials working at the WHO out of jobs.

“To abandon the WHO is to invite China, in effect, to take full control of the organization and its resources, to reorient its work in directions that are of interest to China and not necessarily in the best interests of the world at large,” he said.

“It’s a very, very bad mistake on the part of this administration, insofar as the interests of America and American citizens are concerned.”

Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, “makes it impossible to achieve the objectives of the Paris Climate Accords,” as the US is one of the two biggest polluters, he warned.

“We’ve already seen the disastrous consequences in terms of calamitous weather phenomena that are truly worrisome – wildfires, floods – which are going to occur with greater and greater frequency.”

Gaza plan: ‘Open invitation’ for Israeli annexation

One of Trump’s most controversial foreign policy initiatives is his proposed takeover of Gaza, which includes forcibly relocating Palestinian residents to other countries – a plan that critics say amounts to ethnic cleansing.

“It’s an open invitation … for Israel to simply say ‘we’re going to annex Gaza,’” said Adams.

The ex-diplomat emphasized that he was also a “strong critic” of the Biden administration’s related to Israel’s assault on Gaza, which Adams views as “ongoing war crime on the part of the Israelis.”

Additionally, Trump’s decision to lift Biden-era sanctions on Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories has raised alarms.

“The Trump administration is continuing to tolerate, if not encourage, ethnic cleansing in the West Bank,” Adams said bluntly.

Ending the Ukraine war

Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine “in one day,” yet weeks into his second term, the war rages on.

However, over the past few days, the US president has raised expectations for a breakthrough, following phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump said he may meet Putin soon in Saudi Arabia without specifying a timeline. He followed that up with an announcement on Thursday that top officials – not leaders – from the US, Ukraine, and Russia will meet in the kingdom next week.

Like other issues, Adams remains skeptical of Trump’s claims on Ukraine, expressing concern that the war is likely to drag on, while also pointing to his alarming statements regarding NATO.

“He said unless NATO countries start contributing 5% of their GDP, ‘I will tell my friend Vladimir (Putin), do whatever the hell you want in Europe.’ It’s a direct quote from Mr. Trump,” said Adams.

Looking ahead, the former diplomat painted a bleak picture for the next four years, saying he is “not wildly optimistic” for America and the world.

“There’s some question in my mind as to whether the planet Earth – or the human occupants of planet Earth – will still be around four years from now,” he said.

“I'm not joking about this. The possibility of Armageddon, in a nuclear sense, has risen considerably over the past couple of weeks.”