EU will defend borders, says French minister in response to Trump’s Greenland threats
EU will defend borders, says French minister in response to Trump’s Greenland threats
Comments from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French foreign minister follow US president-elect’s Greenland threats
The traditional deal is you only get to threaten folk who haven't access to nukes. If they have, your threat can be ignored. That's why North Korea is a thing and Saddam Hussein isn't.
Before 2022/2014 I wasn't quite sure why they think they need European armed forces, now it's obvious why they need it. (Would be good if the EU stays a voluntary confederation and not what the US is.)
Two front hybrid warfare is not good for the EU.
Yes. As much as the EU has done a good job in many ways, I’d much prefer it stay a confederation than a federation.
I've always believed deeply that the European Union was a model for how we, as a species, have to evolve in order to reach that next step. Not in a Star Trek ideal of "one planet", but at least in a "cooperation" that allows us to stop fighting each other.
Hell...I'm even a believer IN a North American version of the same thing. Just not in the way that Trump is wanting it and NOT with Trump anywhere near the decision making process. A North American federation on good terms with the EU federation would be great as long as adults were in charge and sovereignty was respected rather an a man-child shouting out bullshit all the time.
We could never have a North American Union. NAFTA was the first step and nationalists in the US and Mexico made it very clear they would commit violence if we dared so much as approach the EU model.
Will trump be the one to finally destroy usa global influence?
It's what Putin wants, so yeah.
It's also what the countries bullied by the usa also want
He clearly thinks he’s going to extend it. But he may indeed cause irreparable damage.
I think he already has. The U.S. is still militarily influential of course, but no one...NO ONE...takes their political leaders as anything more than unhinged toddlers anymore.
Well to be fair, some leaders are seen as credible but everything is now predicated on the possibility that the guy elected in 4 years just decides to not honor anything. That used to be one of the hallmarks of the US, presidents honored the deals and such of previous presidents. So you'd know your deal would last or at least be renegotiated in good faith. Not so anymore.
US global influence is already well into decline. This is the USA's Byzantine period as we shift from a unipolar into an increasingly multipolar world.
Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.
I would like to see more opinions from the Greenland locals, but I doubt that they want to exchange Denmark with the USA.
So the president of the greenlandic parliament made a focus of his new year's speech to talk about increased autonomy from historical danish colonialism and continuing the past 8 years of work on a new constitution. These topics are pretty important for his reelection campaign this year. However, apparently AP or Reuters picked up on the story and now there's 100s of imperialistic articles online talking about "Greenland makes sudden shift towards independence after Trump discussions" and "Nuuk is closer to New York than Copenhagen".
Now Trump Jr went to Greenland and Trump is threatening to use military force to take Greenland, and all the Greenlandic politicians are freaking out that the Americans are about to take away their sovereignty.
https://www.knr.gl/da/nyheder/mute-b-egede-maner-til-ro-groenland-er-groenlaendernes
https://www.knr.gl/da/nyheder/maaske-et-mediestunt-men-alligevel-alvorligt
Source: Me, a swede who can read GL news articles written in Danish
Thanks from a fellow Swede! Basically the only thing I know about Greenland is that it's a good place if you want to get really really drunk. And then there is the old colonial issue. Never talked to a Greenlander, but the Icelanders I know seem to still be quite hostile towards Denmark, so I just extrapolate from there. Different ethnicity probably don't make things easier.
Tack!
"Please! Take away our healthcare!"
I would like to see more opinions from the Greenland locals, but I doubt that they want to exchange Denmark with the USA.
I do know that they want to go independent and it seems as if a majority wants to be part of the European Union:
According to a poll (auto-translated):
40 years after Greenland left the EU, the mood is perhaps turning.
In a survey conducted by Nasiffik – the Centre for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Ilisimatusarfik – 60 percent of respondents say that they will vote 'aap' if a referendum was held on Greenlandic membership of the EU.
- It is a surprising result that there is now a relatively large majority in the Greenlandic population who believe that Greenland should join the EU, says Rasmus Leander Nielsen, head of Nasiffik.
[...]
https://knr.gl/da/nyheder/flertal-vil-have-groenland-tilbage-i-eu
The population is so small that the US easily can give each individual a million dollar. And far less will probably be enough. So we can be certain that the locals will say yes if there is a vote.
You skipped a couple of steps between "US easily can give each individual a million dollar." and "So we can be certain that the locals will say yes if there is a vote." Like Trump planning to do that and it being implemented.
Also, a million dollars, let alone "far less" than a million dollars, would not be enough for me to be willing to give up socialized medicine for the rest of my life and the life of my kids, grandkids, etc. Not everyone is as motivated by money as you seem to think.
paywalled
Also, EU probably needs it's own stash of strategic nuclear weapons ASAP.
France has nuclear weapons. And since Greenland and Canada are covered by NATO, they are also covered by the UK's arsenal.
Other NATO countries also have nukes provided by the US, but I don't know how usable they would be in this situation.
The Nato weapons are basically US weapons. And the future of Nato is quite uncertain. Also, AFAIK the UK weapons force is fully dependent on the US. France is the only western country (except the US) which has a completely independent nuclear force.
I really don't understand the tactics of Trump here, since this behavior is guaranteed to push EU towards China. If common liberal values and culture are nil and there is global anarchy, China will be a natural EU ally, if one consider only the geography. China + EU vs Russia. And Russia will probably be an ally of the US. (I've played way too many strategy games.)
Maybe he just sees that EU is really weak now, and he's probing the landscape.
Anyway, it's interesting to see that the new US administration already performs hybrid war against the EU.
I have to say... On all predictions about how the World War 3 would start, I imagine absolutely nobody guessed "NATO against the USA".
It has it, the French decided to share theirs a while ago.
FWIW official policy is that if US soldiers attack Greenland / Denmark, Washington goes to play Fallout.
I almost hope trunp goes full-on military raid and gets the whole world sicked on him. Like the whole rest of the world becomes the united superpower because they have a common enemy.
Will the EU help Ukraine do the same when USA abandons them?