Trump flirts with war over Greenland as NATO allies warn military move could shatter alliance

The Donald Trump administration’s expansionist foreign policy is now threatening the entire fabric of the Western world, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, better known as NATO, may be barreling toward an unprecedented end.

Ironically, the alliance of 32 nations was formed after World War II with the sole principle of cooperation without expansion. Over the years, the alliance has had its fair share of criticism. The war in Afghanistan is largely seen as a disaster in retrospect. Even its operation in Libya is still so opaque in its intended goals that it has grown into one of the most prominent conspiracies floating on the internet, primely suited for Russian propaganda against the alliance.

Still, the alliance has built a measure of stability among its member states. No two member states have ever gone to war with one another and can therefore trade with relative ease. There was a level of cooperation among Western nations that human history had simply never seen before. In fact, if anything, the issue with NATO states eventually became accusations of hoarding wealth and not doing enough to help the Global South.

Trump took over for a second term, and sweeping changes followed. No longer was unconditional support for Ukraine guaranteed; instead, it had to trade rare earth minerals for help. Then the Trump administration abducted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and declared it would seek reimbursement for ending his reign by collecting 50 million barrels of oil from the oil-rich state.

CNN has reported that the White House has now set its sights on Greenland, which is currently a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. According to the publication, for this administration, using the military to seize Greenland from Denmark — a fellow NATO ally — is not out of the question. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The President and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”

However, the administration still insists that an aggressive seizure is not its primary approach. Secretary Marco Rubio has recently downplayed the possibility of military intervention and stated that the Trump administration simply plans on buying it for national security reasons.

The problem with that framing is that it was Secretary Rubio himself who led a recent analysis on Greenland’s rare earths and other untapped resources. Furthermore, members of Congress are also doubting the claim that this is purely driven by national security concerns. Republican Rep. Don Bacon said, “This is appalling. Greenland is a NATO ally. We have a base on Greenland. We could put four or five bases on Greenland; they wouldn’t mind that.”

One of the first things Trump did when he returned to the White House was offer Denmark monetary compensation for Greenland. The fact that it has taken this long for the offer to be accepted suggests Denmark has shown little interest. Does that mean Trump will now deploy the military? That remains to be seen. NATO is an alliance. Trump seemingly wants to turn it into a subordination.