Can anyone stop Trump from seizing Greenland? |
Key takeaways
The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, along with recent comments from the White House have made clear that US President Donald Trump’s ambition to take over Greenland needs to be taken very seriously. European governments are reportedly discussing contingency plans if he makes good on his threats.
A US military attack on the territory of a friendly European country — effectively the end of the NATO alliance — still seems unlikely, though can’t be ruled out entirely. While there have been proposals to station more troops in Greenland as a deterrent, for now, European governments seem to view that step as unnecessarily escalatory.
A political and economic campaign to pressure Europe into giving up Greenland seems more likely. The best hope of preventing the US from going farther down this road may be just how unpopular the idea is in Greenland itself and in the United States.
No one is laughing about Greenland anymore.
President Donald Trump’s frequently expressed desire for the US to take possession of the world’s largest island may once have been treated as a lark, troll, or distraction, but following last week’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, it’s become clear that Trump is increasingly acquiring a taste for military action and that he is even less constrained by international norms than previously thought.
“We do need Greenland, absolutely,” Trump said, shortly after the Maduro raid, describing it as “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships.” The White House said on Tuesday that Trumpand his senior advisers are discussing options for how to take over the Danish territory and that military force is “always an option.”
Trump’s senior adviser, Stephen Miller, dismissed the idea that there was anything stopping the US from pursuing its imperialist visions in the far north, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper, “Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland. … We live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power.” (Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a softer line, saying no invasion was imminent and that the goal is to purchase Greenland. Neither Denmark nor Greenland have indicated any interest in selling.)
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded to the threats by saying that Trump’s ambitions for the territory should be taken seriously and that “If the United States were to choose to attack another NATO country, then everything would come to an end. The international community as we know it, democratic rules of the game, NATO, the world’s strongest defensive alliance — all of that would collapse if one NATO country chose to attack another.”
On Tuesday, the leaders of six European countries along with Greenland issued a joint statement affirming the importance of territorial integrity and stating that “it is for Denmark and Greenland and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.” The French government says it is in communication with partners over plans to respond if Trump makes good on his threats.
Strong words, but can Europe back them up? If we take Trump at his word that he plans to take some action on Greenland “in about........