President Donald Trump continued his threats towards Greenland on Friday, as he insisted that if the United States did not act Russia or China would occupy it in the future.
I think this also reflects Trump’s contempt for the EU. Compared to the annexation of Greenland, the operations you mentioned were far more limited in scope, and had little impact on the broader strategic landscape. To invade and occupy the world’s biggest island (albeit sparsely inhabited) has significant, lasting consequences on a global scale that his prior military actions hadn’t.
Given that Trump seems genuinely averse to entangling his forces too deeply, it’s pretty clear he believes the EU to be as incapable, if not even less so, as countries like Iran or Venezuela.
Absolutely, annexing Greenland is also a disciplinary action for Europe. It’s basically the US telling Europeans that the US does whatever it wants and they’re just going to have to suck it up. The EU is basically trapped now because they rely entirely on the US military protection, and now they have strong and angry Russia on their border. The current European leadership worked themselves into a frenzy about Russia, and they don’t have any path towards reconciliation now. So, they basically need to keep the US in at all costs, and they will endure any humiliation to do that.
I think this also reflects Trump’s contempt for the EU. Compared to the annexation of Greenland, the operations you mentioned were far more limited in scope, and had little impact on the broader strategic landscape. To invade and occupy the world’s biggest island (albeit sparsely inhabited) has significant, lasting consequences on a global scale that his prior military actions hadn’t.
Given that Trump seems genuinely averse to entangling his forces too deeply, it’s pretty clear he believes the EU to be as incapable, if not even less so, as countries like Iran or Venezuela.
Absolutely, annexing Greenland is also a disciplinary action for Europe. It’s basically the US telling Europeans that the US does whatever it wants and they’re just going to have to suck it up. The EU is basically trapped now because they rely entirely on the US military protection, and now they have strong and angry Russia on their border. The current European leadership worked themselves into a frenzy about Russia, and they don’t have any path towards reconciliation now. So, they basically need to keep the US in at all costs, and they will endure any humiliation to do that.