Donald Trump, the self-described ‘non-interventionist’ president of the United States of America, has made a fresh bid for Greenland with the announcement of a special envoy for the Arctic landmass. The largely ice-covered island is technically a part of North America, but is the territory of Denmark, a US ally in Europe and a member of NATO. Mr Trump has long had his eyes on Greenland, and insists that the US needs to rule over it to cement its national security. The Louisiana governor, Jeff Landry, whom
Mr Trump appointed as special envoy to the island, has said he will make Greenland a part of the US. Mr Trump, on his part, has not ruled out the prospect of using military force for such a takeover, if needed. But as with so many of Mr Trump’s diplomatic appointments, Mr Landry’s qualifications lie in the field of loyalty to the president rather than any foreign policy experience. Predictably, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland have hit back at Mr Trump, insisting that only the people of Greenland will decide the island’s future and that it will not become a part of the US. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has also criticised the move by Mr Trump’s administration, reminding it of the NATO charter and the commitment by the alliance’s members to respect one another’s sovereignty.
But none of that might matter to Mr Trump. Like many of his moves, the claim on Greenland appears motivated by an ambitious realtor’s audacious prospecting of potential land to grab rather than thought-out geopolitical or legal factors. The idea of Greenland as a part of the US fits with the US president’s dreams of building luxury hotels on the beaches of Gaza after Israel used American bombs to flatten the Palestinian territory over the past two years, killing more than 70,000 people. It is of a piece with his wishes to threaten Venezuela with armed attacks, claiming he is concerned about narcotics smuggling while, in fact, offering evidence that Mr Trump is really after the South American nation’s unmatched oil reserves. Whether with Greenland or Gaza, Mr Trump is testing the resolve of a world where international laws have been abused so blatantly by major powers, led by the US, that they hold little meaning. He is pushing the boundaries of what other countries, rivals or allies, might be willing to live with. A firm, united pushback from the rest of the world should be the only reasonable response.