Swap in, say, Iraq and Syria, and this quote could come from countless conversations about Middle Eastern politics and conflicts. The same sentiments have been invoked by at least one future U.S. president , regional leaders , and, most notoriously, Islamic State propagandists intent on erasing the Iraqi-Syrian border. Now, Trump’s proxies like Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem have started to performatively dismiss the existence of the Canadian border, or Canada’s right to exist at all.

Only a decade ago, U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments on Canada would have read as a deliberate parody of bad Middle East punditry . In his demands for the country’s annexation, Trump has repeatedly called Canada’s border with the United States an “artificial line.” He’s gone on to say “somebody did it a long time ago” and this border “makes no sense.”

Only a decade ago, U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments on Canada would have read as a deliberate parody of bad Middle East punditry. In his demands for the country’s annexation, Trump has repeatedly called Canada’s border with the United States an “artificial line.” He’s gone on to say “somebody did it a long time ago” and this border “makes no sense.”

Swap in, say, Iraq and Syria, and this quote could come from countless conversations about Middle Eastern politics and conflicts. The same sentiments have been invoked by at least one future U.S. president, regional leaders, and, most notoriously, Islamic State propagandists intent on erasing the Iraqi-Syrian border. Now, Trump’s proxies like Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem have started to performatively dismiss the existence of the Canadian border, or Canada’s right to exist at all.

The claim that some borders are “natural” and others are “artificial” is a bad i