Greenland fantasy is hurting Republicans and harming America |
There may have once been a narrow avenue for a serious conversation between the United States and Greenland about some form of relationship.
Perhaps it could have taken the shape of a compact of free association or a new security and economic framework reflecting the realities of the Arctic in the 21st century. However, that door has long since slammed shut.
Whatever opportunity existed has been squandered by an obsessive fixation on “owning” Greenland, as if it were a distressed property listed on Zillow rather than a territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
At no point has there appeared to be a real strategy. What initially looked like a joke or an online troll quickly metastasized into something far more damaging: a persistent signal to allies that the U.S. no longer understands the difference between power and petulance. You cannot browbeat partners into cooperation by floating ideas that insult their sovereignty.
The damage is not........