Greenland | Standoff between Americans and Europeans

Donald Trump does not budge: he “needs” Greenland. And Europeans should not respond to his threats on new customs duties by imposing their own surcharges, he warned on Monday. Especially since the Nobel Prize escaped him, freeing him from the constraint of thinking “only about peace”, as he wrote to the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre.

“Considering that your country has decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for ending eight wars and MORE, I no longer feel obligated to think only about peace, although it will always remain predominant, but can now think about what is good and just for the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a text message first obtained by PBS.

Støre confirmed the exchange and reiterated, in a statement, that he had explained to the president “what is common knowledge: the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel committee and not by the Norwegian government.”

Will Trump trash an alliance out of spite because the coveted prize eluded him?

“It’s a very strange, even surreal situation,” comments Marc Lanteigne, professor of political science at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø, contacted by The Press. The native Montrealer is also a lecturer at the University of Greenland in Nuuk, where he visits in person about twice a year.

“It’s a very small community, traditionally isolated from international debates, and it’s a lot of pressure very quickly,” he adds.

Economic response

Trump openly covets Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. He announced on Saturday new tariffs of 10% from February, imposed on goods from eight European countries that oppose his aim – Germany, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The governments of these countries and the European Union (EU) are considering a response. Elected officials, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, have discussed the use of the commercial “bazooka”, an anti-coercion tool adopted in 2023 by the EU to restrict access to the European market to countries trying to exert economic pressure. It has never been used before.

Denmark and Greenland have proposed creating a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) monitoring mission. Canada, which is part of it – like the United States – was also preparing to send a small contingent to the island for military exercises if necessary.

Thousands of Greenlanders demonstrated over the weekend against a takeover of their territory.

The United States divided

In the United States, few Republican elected officials publicly oppose Trump’s project. Congress would, however, have a say in both a new acquisition and a military intervention, recalls Ryan Griffiths, professor of political science at Syracuse University in New York state.

The idea of ​​taking control of Greenland by military force displeases some 71% of Americans, according to a poll conducted by Ipsos last week. Its acquisition without force leaves citizens a little more divided, particularly among Republicans, among whom 40% of respondents approve of it and 46% say they are “not sure”.

Wedding rings

Republicans would likely end up getting behind Trump’s actions to obtain this rare earth-rich territory, said David Hopkins, professor of political science at Boston College. Even if it means leaving behind traditional allies, perceived in any case as an elite with “socialist” policies.

“The post-war world order was built by people concerned with the long-term strategic interests of their countries, after a traumatic experience in the absence of stable and strong alliances and institutions to guarantee the security of allied nations,” notes Mr. Hopkins. This has resulted in many benefits, but that does not mean that the ordinary citizen sees the benefits. »

The Arctic is becoming more and more important for different powers, but the reasons given by the Trump administration about its security fears in the face of Russian and Chinese ships do not hold water, says Mr. Lanteigne. “Greenland is a member of NATO,” he recalls. Any bellicose action by an external power against Greenland would activate a NATO response. »

But a weakening of this alliance – perceived or real – remains a fear, particularly in Europe, in the face of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

“As an example, where I am now, in Tromsø, we are about 450 km from the Russian border, and it is clear here that the Arctic as a whole is starting to raise security concerns,” says Mr. Lanteigne. The consequences of this situation are very difficult to predict and could prove very serious. »

With Agence France-Presse

Read the article “Planes to ‘arrive soon’ in Greenland for ‘long-planned activities’”