Donald Trump recently reiterated his desire for Greenland to become a part of the US, sparking fresh concern that he may move to take the country via military action.
Of all the outlandish boasts and promises Trump has made since resuming the presidency in January, the idea that both Canada and Greenland could become US territories perhaps rank among the most bizarre and, frankly, frightening.
Neither country has expressed any desire for that to come to pass, though Trump has argued that it is better for the US and for world peace if they do. He has been particularly boisterous regarding Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, telling press in late March: “We need Greenland.
“Very importantly, for international security, we have to have Greenland. It’s not a question of, ‘Do you think we can do without it?’ We can’t.
“If you look at Greenland right now, if you look at the waterways, you have Chinese and Russian ships all over the place, and we’re not going to be able to do that. We’re not relying on Denmark or anybody else to take care of that situation.”
As stated, both Denmark and Greenland have made it known that they have no interest in the latter being effectively seized by the US. Meanwhile Trump, in typically bullish fashion, has also floated the idea of Canada becoming a US state.
We reported yesterday that Trump had clarified at the weekend that he didn’t think military action would be required to bring Canada under the US’s control. Yet when quizzed on Greenland by NBC, he replied simply “I don’t rule it out.”
“I don’t say I’m going to do it, but I don’t rule out anything,” he said.
“We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we’ll take care of, and we’ll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security.”
Trump’s words have since birthed fresh fears over the possibility of a pending collapse of NATO, since both Denmark and the US are members, meaning the US effectively invading a Danish territory would constitute a clear and direct breach of the agreement.
Hypothetically speaking, if the US were to land troops in Greenland, NATO’s Article 5 protocol would come into effect, that is to say that an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attacked against all its members.
Given the current political climate on the international stage, with genuine concerns over the possibility of World War III – thanks in no small part to Russia’s disregard for the respect of the Ukraine’s sovereignty – Trump’s words and deeds are hardly reassuring.
Greenland, meanwhile, have made it abundantly clear that they do not want the US meddling in their affairs.
Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who was elected earlier this year, said in March: “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.”
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