The actions carried out by President Donald Trump and his administration throughout his second presidential term have resulted in a host of significant impacts on the nation’s economy, governmental structure, handling of immigration and more.
However, Trump’s foreign policy agenda has proved to be one of the most defining elements of his first year back in office. From withdrawing the U.S. from several international organizations, overseeing missile strikes on Iran and most recently to authorizing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the start of the president’s second term has been marked by numerous actions and developments that have notably affected the international stage.
Most recently, President Trump has ardently insisted on the U.S.’s acquisition of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory under the jurisdiction of Denmark.
Trump’s campaign to take control of the Arctic island is grounded in reasons pertaining to the security of the U.S.
“It’s so strategic right now,” the president told reporters on Jan. 4, according to CBS News. “Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place…We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
Several administration officials backed the president’s ambitions. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed Trump’s security-related explanations.
“[The U.S. stands to gain] more control over the Arctic region and ensuring that China and Russia and our adversaries cannot continue their aggression in this very important and strategic region,” she said in a press conference early this month. “And, there would be many other benefits as well that, again, the president and his national security team are currently talking about.”
However, many world leaders, including Danish officials, have voiced confusion, concern and disagreement with the president’s musings.
In a Jan.18 text message to Trump, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre emphasized the need for a communal approach to maintaining the U.S.’s and the international community’s security, framing the endeavor as one that should be grounded in the strength of the NATO alliance.
Trump responded less than half an hour later, essentially rejecting Støre’s proposal. In his response, the president cited his failure to win the Nobel Peace Prize– an honor awarded in Oslo, Norway’s capital– in his justification for acquiring Greenland, according to the BBC.
President Trump, in response to several European nations’ voiced opposition to his campaign for Greenland, threatened a 10% tariff on eight nations early last week, reported PBS.
This economic threat only built on the president’s previously stated commitment to achieve ownership of the territory despite pushback. Earlier this month, the president asserted that the U.S.’s acquisition of Greenland could be done “the easy way” or “the hard way,” reported CNN. Many have speculated that this ultimatum suggested the potential use of military force.
The president addressed these anxieties in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, insisting on his commitment to not resort to force, reported NPR.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” he told the conference’s attendees. “But I won’t do that, OK? Now everyone’s saying, oh, good. That’s probably the biggest statement I made ‘cause people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
Following the international conference, world leaders participated in negotiations that could offer at least some victory for Trump.
Last Thursday, shortly after the president’s announcement of a “Greenland Deal,” NATO negotiators presented a tentative plan to establish several sovereign U.S. bases throughout Greenland, a compromise which, while not fully meeting Trump’s desire for full ownership, would grant the president key mechanisms for control in the territory. The proposed agreement would also vitalize new NATO efforts in the Arctic, update a 75-year-old pact between Denmark and the U.S. and restrict non-NATO states’ access to rare-earth minerals existing in Greenland, reported The New York Times.
Although not a signed deal, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen expressed his hesitance to grant the U.S. any sort of ownership over parts of the island.
“We are ready to discuss a lot of things,” Nielsen stated. “Sovereignty is a red line.”
Relations between the U.S., Greenland, Denmark and other NATO allies will continue to shift as President Trump’s campaign for the territory continues to pan out. No matter the outcome of his pursuit, the tensions that have escalated as a result of the situation have already significantly impacted the relationships between many of the international community’s most significant actors.
