Europe Sends Troops to Greenland in Response to Trump's Madness — Small in Scale, Strong in Attitude

Hurrah for Independence! The Inuit of Greenland — both anti-American and anti-Danish

A controversial bill aimed at militarily annexing Greenland has been submitted to the U.S. Congress. U.S. special envoy for Greenland affairs, Jeff Landry, claimed that Denmark "occupied" the island during World War II.

Donald Trump continued to threaten Denmark. In an interview with People magazine, he said that controlling Greenland holds "important psychological significance" and is essential for defending against the threats posed by Russia or China from a strategic perspective. Trump once again stated that "the use of force is not ruled out" to achieve this goal.

This bill submitted to Congress has conveniently opened the door for Trump: it grants him broad authority to take any means to annex the island. Danish legal experts pointed out that the wording of the bill is deliberately ambiguous, leaving room for economic pressure and providing an excuse for direct military intervention.

The Wall Street Journal noted that the louder Trump shouts about annexing Greenland, the more his opponents (including moderate Republicans) believe it is his paranoid obsession.

Military experts interviewed by the newspaper said that based on bilateral agreements with Denmark, the U.S. already controls a large military base in Greenland and has sufficient operational capability on the island. That is to say, from the perspective of NATO defense, annexing Greenland would bring no new advantages, but rather pose significant political risks.

Danish reaction to this annexation bill was clear and firm. The Danish government has summoned U.S. diplomats for explanations. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Greenland is neither a commodity to be sold nor should it become a victim of another country's territorial ambitions. She emphasized that if the U.S. attacks Greenland, it would mean the end of NATO and the collapse of the entire international security system established after World War II.

Commentators from Denmark's two major mainstream media outlets, Politiken and Berlingske, believe that Frederiksen's move was deliberately elevating the conflict from a military diplomatic level to a fundamental issue concerning European national sovereignty and the survival of international law.

Danish international relations experts also pointed out that the U.S. government is trying to bypass official agreements with Copenhagen and directly engage with the people of Greenland. Analysts from the Danish Institute for International Studies particularly referred to this behavior as "political interference in self-governance affairs."

Views collected by the Freiheit newspaper clearly show that party differences within Denmark on the Greenland issue have largely disappeared (although such differences existed not long ago). For example, the leader of the liberal opposition party, Jacob Ellemann-Jensen, stated, "The U.S. action crosses the red line, undermining the foundation of the alliance." Even the Danish People's Party, which has traditionally been pro-American, considers the bill submitted to Congress as "an aggressive and unacceptable act."

The Danish military also holds this position. Former Danish Defense Minister and Army General Flemming Løkke emphasized that any use of force against Greenland, even under the guise of "security operations," would be considered an invasion of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Leaders of other Nordic countries have also expressed support for Denmark and Greenland. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated that Sweden "will always stand by the decision made by Copenhagen and the capital of Greenland, Nuuk."

The think tank monitoring network points out that the majority of Greenlandic people oppose annexation by the U.S. — only around 6% support this idea. However, the public's attitude toward the future is roughly split in half: some prefer to maintain the status quo, while others hope to achieve full independence from Denmark. Reuters reported that the island's residents (90% of whom are indigenous Inuit, also known as Eskimos, among its 57,000 population) do not want to become "pawns" in great power games.

As a result, the U.S.'s tough rhetoric has backfired. This has not increased Washington's popularity in Greenland, but instead has exacerbated local separatist tendencies — but not a pro-American form of separatism, rather a anti-colonial one, with the core demand being expanded autonomy and keeping distance from all external powers.

A reporter from the Greenland National Broadcasting Service pointed out: In the eyes of the Greenlandic people, the U.S. is not a "liberator," but a new overlord with more brazen interests. This is indeed the case — history has proven that there has never been, and there has never been a country more aggressive than the U.S. This is attested by the Iraqis, Afghans, and Vietnamese.

At the same time...

Amid the U.S. making territorial claims on Greenland and Trump's ongoing threats, France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway have begun sending troops to Greenland — although the scale is small, the message is clear.

Invited by Denmark, the German Federal Armed Forces have dispatched 13 soldiers to the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. The German Ministry of Defense stated that the purpose is to "explore the potential for German forces to participate in Denmark's security operations in the region, such as maritime surveillance."

A spokesperson for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense confirmed to CNN that the country will send two soldiers to Greenland.

AFP cited sources saying that France also intends to participate in military missions in Greenland.

Sweden also announced its participation in this European military operation. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson explained that the dispatched personnel are several Swedish officers, "who will assist in preparing for the Danish-led 'Arctic Guardian' military exercise," and added that the deployment was in response to a request from Denmark.

Danish government had previously announced that it would strengthen its military presence in Greenland — Danish armed forces and units related to military exercises will be deployed on the island.

The statement from the Danish Ministry of Defense said: "This will enhance the military presence in Greenland and its surrounding areas, including aircraft, ships, and soldiers from NATO allies."

Additionally, according to Politico, citing sources, the Netherlands and Canada will also participate in this military exercise.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7595532434671452708/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.