[tomder55]

Trump has completely muffed the Greenland thing. If the goal was acquiring Greenland and there is a certain logic in the idea (see the CCP attempt to get an airport in Greenland which they withdrew from 2019 )
Chinese investments in Greenland raise US concerns | DIIS

They withdrew from the offer during Trump's 1st term.


Instead of his strong arm approach he should have had dual diplomacy 1st convincing Greenlanders it was in their interest and then negotiating an honest deal with Denmark. A little diplomacy was in order . Danish and Greenlanders having a say and a seat at the table was probably all it would've taken


The comparisons to the 1867 Alaska purchase is amazing. The US even after the Civil War carnage emerged as a major power ;close to the Brits . Russia sold it to us because they feared being surrounded by the Brits and Euro coalitions. (they had been humiliated in CRIMEA by the Brits and France ) . They were willing to give us Alaska over the potential of the Brits getting it( Alaska was the only thing separating the Russians from the Brits in Canada .)

So what happens if the US gets Greenland ? Same situation . The US and NATO completely surround Russia. Add in the Crimea comparison it is uncanny.

Russia claims the Ukraine war is a war against NATO. Wednesday NATO "reinforced" Greenland with NATO troops . Russia immediately said that NATO presence there is a threat to Russia

"The situation unfolding in the high latitudes is of serious concern to us," the Russian embassy in Belgium, where NATO is headquartered, said in a statement published late Wednesday.


NATO is "building up its military presence there under the false pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing," the embassy added.

Russia says concerned over NATO deployments in Greenland - The Economic Times

All of this could've been avoided with smart diplomacy.

[tomder55]

It was the dream of Russia to break up NATO for years . Despite NATO and Denmark willing to work with the US for the defense of Greenland Trump is taking a dangerously reckless course. It is my hope that SCOTUS will rule to restrict the President's power of tariffs that the Constitution gives to Congress.

Sweden and Finland are important recent additions to NATO . They joined because of the Russian threat but now a clear threat has emerged from within the alliance.

He is threatening separate tariffs for NATO nations that participated in a joint NATO exercise to demonstrate their commitment to the defense of the island .
Trump hits 8 U.S. allies with tariffs in push for Greenland deal

The countries he threatened with tariffs are all part of the EU which means they will be extended to the entire EU . Does he really want that trade war when affordability will be the issue in the 2026 campaign ?

This threatens all the trade pacts he made in Europe last year like the British paying more for medicines .
Landmark UK-US pharmaceuticals deal to safeguard medicines access and drive vital investment for UK patients and businesses - GOV.UK

Last week Canada caved as Trump drove them into the Chinese arms . How does that enhance our security?
Prime Minister Carney forges new strategic partnership with the People’s Republic of China focused on energy, agri-food, and trade | Prime Minister of Canada

[tomder55]

This is now insane .
Trump reportedly texted Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre ,linking his desire to get Greenland to his being snubbed by the Nobel Committee .

“Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America."

Nick Schifrin on X: "NEW: @potus letter to @jonasgahrstore links @NobelPrize to Greenland, reiterates threats, and is forwarded by the NSC staff to multiple European ambassadors in Washington. I obtained the text from multiple officials: Dear Ambassador: President Trump has asked that the" / X

[tomder55]

Trump must thing that the EU is going to bend over and take it

Thank You, Sir. May I Have Another?

The EU as a combined economy is formidable . They have an instrument in their arsenal called the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI) that they like to call a "trade bazooka" .

Protecting against coercion - Trade and Economic Security

Adopted in 2023 ,it seeks to prevent the very economic strong arm tactics that Trump threatens. It allows for sanctions ,boycotts ,and other trade restrictions against third countries . It was originally designed to counter Chinese trade bullying . But now they are considering adopting it against the US

Already under consideration is a 93 billion Euro tariff against US goods that was delayed because of trade talks that began in July .
They had an emergency meeting yesterday where French President Emanuel Macron suggested the trade bazooka be deployed .

Adopted in 2023, the instrument has never been used, but the US president's escalating threats over the weekend prompted calls for the instrument to be deployed, including from French President Emmanuel Macron.

France and Germany push to use EU anti-coercion tools if Trump's new tariffs become reality | Euronews

The EU implemented its trade agreement with the Trump administration last summer, but it hasn’t yet signed the accord. Although some leaders, including Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, supported the deal because it avoided a significant tariff escalation on both sides, many European leaders decried the agreement when it was announced, and Trump’s latest salvo puts the deal in doubt.
The European Parliament’s Manfred Weber said on X, that “given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage” for a US-EU trade agreement.

“These actions really do represent an end of the credibility of American commitments. That’s going to have adverse effects on the world economy,” said Steven Durlauf, a professor at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

Trump has tariffs. Europe has a ‘trade bazooka.’ This Greenland standoff could get ugly, fast

[tomder55]

President Xi Jinping could treat the actions of Trump, and Putin before him, as an invitation to be another bad boy and escalate claims against Taiwan and others.

Beijing may also opt to play a longer game and claim the moral high ground, however, presenting itself as an international norm-setter, a global economic powerhouse that values global supply chains more than new flags in the ground.

In a world where the United States is starting to go rogue and Russia has already done so, Europe may have to start talking much more seriously to China, whether it likes it or not.

Europe Faces the Gone-Rogue Doctrine | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

As apparently has already happened in Canada .