At UNGA, Trump vows 'unmatched military might' against drug cartels

Invoking a starkly militarised vision for Western Hemisphere security, US President Donald Trump in his address at the 81st United Nations General Assembly declared that Washington will unleash "unmatched military might" against regional threats, equating drug cartels with global terror networks and hailing an "unprecedented" defence agreement for permanent security in Greenland.

Trump issued an ultimatum regarding foreign presence and criminal networks operating close to American borders:

"The United States will no longer permit threats to America to gain a foothold anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. And if necessary, we will use our unmatched military might to secure the vital national interests of the United States," Trump affirmed.

Drawing a direct parallel between regional drug syndicates and international jihadist groups, the US President justified the deployment of armed forces to hunt down cartel networks across the Americas.

"Upon taking office, I designated the drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and unleashed the U.S. Armed Forces to eliminate them. The cartels are the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere - NOT good people. They are enemies at war with civilization, using murder, rape, torture, and extortion as instruments of terror. Like ISIS, they should be killed, exiled, or detained as enemy combatants without the possibility of release," he said.

Turning to Arctic security, Trump touted a landmark agreement reached with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland's self-governing leadership, framing the accord as a historic expansion of American defense dominance that permanently shuts foreign rivals out of the North Atlantic.

Reaffirming the strategic pact struck on the sidelines of the UN summit, Trump declared, "As I announced just days ago, the U.S. has also reached an unprecedented agreement regarding the Northern Frontier of North America, the large and strategically vital piece of land known as Greenland. This agreement, made with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland itself, gives the U.S. permanent control over security, and all other needs, on that territory. We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American Continent. No U.S. adversary will EVER be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments there, without our express approval."

Concluding his remarks on the North Atlantic accord, Trump argued that securing Greenland under American military jurisdiction provides an extended defense shield for both Washington and its Transatlantic partners.

"By expanding America's footprint in the Arctic and North Atlantic, this deal also protects Europe in addition to America. It greatly enhances NATO - which is now growing stronger than ever before," he remarked.

Trump also levelled severe political allegations against the Cuban government, accusing Havana of actively funding and organising far-left political networks inside the US.

"The Cuban regime has also spent decades coordinating with left-wing radicals and Communist networks here in the United States.