Background to the Trump Wall: United States-Mexico Border Wall in Historical and Global Perspectives

Abstract

The plan of Donald Trump, the President of the United States to build a border wall
between the United States and Mexico has strained the relationship between the two
countries, resulted in the partial shutdown of his government for several weeks and
raised global concerns. While some observers blame the decision on the erratic and bully
nature of Donald Trump, others argue that the requirements of this era of globalization
demand the building of bridges instead of barriers. This article offers a new perspective
to the Trump Wall by analyzing it from historical and global perspectives. The
methodology is narrative and comparative. With examples drawn from several parts of
the world, the article concludes that the building of the Trump Wall represents a return to
the phase of border control popularly believed to have ended with the pulling down of the
Berlin Wall in 1989.