It's Not Easy Buying Greenland
This is going to be pretty short, because the concept is extremely basic and easy.
Trump says that he wants to own Greenland because it’s necessary for the security of the United States.
The United States has military bases in Greenland. Its treaty with Greenland allows the U.S. to put even more bases in Greenland.
Greenland is a territory of Denmark, and Denmark is a member of NATO.
The United States is a member of NATO.
The treaty between all countries in NATO is that if one country is attacked, then that means all countries are attacked, and all NATO countries will defend the country that was attacked.
So, if Greenland is attacked by Russia, or China or any enemies, then all of NATO together will defend it.
Therefore, the United States security is fully protected in Greenland.
This is a pretty basic and easy concept.
Unless, apparently, you have dementia, which is degenerative.
Trump's unrelenting fixation with Greenland is an obsession unattached to reality (as noted above), and it's hard not to suspect that such a deeply obsessive focus is related at least in part to his dementia. While he's mentioned often in the past that he wants the U.S. to somehow take possession of Greenland (keeping in mind that expert psychologists were writing in Trump's first term that he showed signs of dementia), his low-key, easily dismissed obsession has grown significantly worse in recent weeks, and seemingly now is almost out of control -- reaching the point where Danish and Greenland government officials just yesterday had to rush to Washington for an emergency meeting -- because dementia is degenerative.
I don’t think it will go anywhere, that it’s all neurotic bluster. Buy Greenland?? How? Estimates are that it could cost over $1 trillion. The current U.S. budget deficit is $1.8 trillion. So, where is the money going to come from? We could certainly just print it, but I suspect Denmark knows it could make more such money by just buying a few boxes of Monopoly. The fake cash would be worth about the same. Even more to the point: Denmark has repeatedly, relentlessly said it is not selling Denmark. That seems a near-certainty.
Send troops to attack Greenland? One of our staunchest allies for 80 years? Defended by the European NATO members? And with probably negligible support in Congress? (Not just for national security and defense of NATO reasons, but political ones, being able to read polls and seeing massive public opposition, and so knowing they'd risk losing re-election) Attack Greenland? I seriously doubt it.
BUT – BUT – this is Trump, and I have no idea what he would try to do, even under those improbable conditions. And even if it’s just dementia-filled bluster, the unhinged rhetoric is damaging bluster that undermines the U.S. credibility on the world stage.
I don’t expect MAGOPs in Congress to say anything right now, when it's all just Trump ranting – though a few have. That might change, though, if it looks like Trump is trying to make military moves. But in the immediacy, I do hope that as many Democrats as possible say bluntly that they will not stand for this to happen, and that it’s insane. If I had to guess, they haven’t done so yet because they haven’t expected this to be serious – but still, even if that guess is right, they should do so, to shut it down as soon as they can. Because every time Trump opens his mouth on Greenland and his dementia pours out, it hurts national credibility, most especially for the next time we want to oppose an ally being attacked.
And not just Taiwan or Ukraine.
Buy Greenland?? Attack Greenland??
You might wonder why. But why wonder, why wonder -- it's Greenland. And it'll do fine. It's beautiful. And it's where it wants to be.
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