Like the vast majority of Americans, I have been dismayed and disgusted by the president’s continuing attempt to take over Greenland which is against the very ideals America has stood for. His bullying of Denmark is destroying the allied solidarity that NATO has worked hard to build since 1949. As a retired naval officer who flew as a patrol plane pilot out of Keflavik, Iceland, and many other NATO bases in the 1970s and 80s, I strongly object to this shameful land grab which would violate international law and disrespect the many sacrifices of Americans and Europeans who stood together to contain communism and terrorism over the past 75 years.
Here are six reasons why taking Greenland is a very bad idea:
1. The Danes and Greenlanders already give America access and have done so since the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement, which enabled the U.S. to build up its NATO military presence in Greenland for the Cold War. The U.S. can seek modifications within this accord.
2. If Russia or China made an offensive move on Greenland, NATO would immediately step in on behalf of Denmark per Article 5, which states that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.
3. The U.S. has stood against colonialism for over a century and should respect the rights of other countries per the 1945 UN Charter that we helped establish. As Article 2.4 of the UN Charter states:
“All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
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4. American companies already have the ability to negotiate business arrangements for minerals, oil, and other resources.
5. Thousands of Danes have protested in Copenhagen and over a thousand Greenlanders protested in Nuuk against the president’s totally unwarranted takeover plans.
6. In 2002, when the US asked for help in Afghanistan (and later Iraq), Denmark was one of the first nations to step up and come to our aid. Seven Danes were killed in Iraq and 43 died in Afghanistan. With a population of only six million, Denmark deployed 18,000 troops in combat operations in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021. Former Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen served as the Secretary General of NATO from 2009 to 2014 and was always a steadfast friend in supporting the U.S. in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
I served overseas on ships and flew patrol planes during the Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations. As different as these administrations were politically, there was always the guiding star principle that we always worked closely with our allies throughout the Cold War. During those years, we lost squadron friends who died while serving the U.S. and NATO. America and our allies both paid a great price to guard the frontiers; and now those efforts are being besmirched by this shallow effort to take Greenland — which is being touted by some who never quite found the time to wear the uniform of the United States.
The Greenland fiasco is in violation of international treaties and laws that the United States helped establish after WWII to stabilize the free world. Recently, the president abruptly removed U.S. representatives from many international organizations and bullied our closest allies. He threatened increased tariffs against eight NATO countries that have rightly stood up against his Greenland efforts. These eight allies issued a joint statement supporting Denmark and warned that his tariff threats risked “a dangerous downward spiral” in transatlantic relations.
Norwegian Prime Minister Støre and Finnish President Stubb tried to communicate with the U.S. president. “We all should work to take this down and de-escalate — so much is happening around us where we need to stand together,” they told him.
However, the president’s bizarre statement back is a warning to Americans and our allies alike: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the US.”
It is extremely concerning how silent many U.S. senators and representatives — who do know better — are remaining in the face of this outrageous gambit. Taking Greenland is not in our national interest. To do so now will have long-term ramifications against the interests of both the United States and NATO. Bullying and threatening Denmark and our NATO allies is absolutely wrong; it will take many years to reverse and disrespects the many allied sacrifices of past decades.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Ray Henessy.
