COULD TRUMP SEIZE GREENLAND?
Militarily, there is little that could stop the US from attempting to seize Greenland.
Politically and legally, however, the consequences would be “era-defining”, said Assistant Professor William James from the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
Although Greenland is not an independent member of NATO, it is covered by Denmark’s membership of the Western military alliance, of which the US is also a member.
Any use of force would put the NATO allies against one another.
“If the US decides to military attack another NATO country, then everything would stop – that includes NATO and therefore post-World War II security,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
He added that the US already has extensive military access to Greenland under existing agreements.
“I need to say this very directly to the US,” Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday. “The US has no right to annex any of the three countries of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
While the Trump administration has long blamed Venezuela’s government for stoking regional instability and fuelling drug trafficking, neither Greenland nor Denmark presents a threat to US security.
ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS FOR TRUMP?
Associate Professor Reuben Wong of the National University of Singapore said it would be hard to imagine the US Congress agreeing to military action or intervention in Greenland.
“A more likely option is that Greenland or Denmark will be pressured to make concessions to US interests (with regard to) the island’s rare earth and oil resources,” he told CNA.
RSIS’ Dr James said that any attempt by the US to acquire Greenland would “almost certainly” follow a period of coercive diplomacy and some form of financial arrangement.
“Much of US territory was historically gained through purchase (eg. the Louisiana purchase from France; Alaska from Russia), and Trump appears to assume that everyone and everything has a price. As things stand, however, both Denmark and Greenland show little interest in such a deal,” he said.
“It is also worth remembering that Greenland exercises extensive self-government. Any legal transfer would require the consent of Greenlanders as well as Danes.”
Source: CNA
