ABC News Daily Trump’s bid to control the Western Hemisphere
9 snips
Jan 26, 2026 
Monica Duffy-Toft, professor of international politics at Tufts and director of its Center for Strategic Studies, analyzes U.S. moves to reassert dominance in the Western Hemisphere. She discusses Trump’s Greenland rhetoric, a muscular hemispheric policy using coercion, the idea of spheres of influence, Venezuela as a test case, and risks of eroding international safeguards.
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Greenland As Part Of A Bigger Strategy
- Monica Duffy Toft argues Trump's Greenland comments and tariff threats fit a broader push to reorder hemispheric power.
- She frames these moves as part of a declared strategy to reassert US dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
From Rhetoric To Overt Coercion
- Monica describes a muscular foreign policy in the 2025 National Security Strategy aiming to reassert US dominance.
- She notes the administration moved from rhetoric to overt coercion with force used in Venezuela.
Spheres Of Influence Come Back Into Play
- Monica explains Trump's vision divides the world into US, China, and Russia spheres of influence.
- She highlights explicit US efforts to exclude Chinese and Russian presence in the Americas.
