Editorial
Donald Trump’s recent actions signal a dangerous shift in American foreign policy, one that threatens to dismantle the very alliances that have underpinned Western security for eight decades.
Fresh off ordering the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has escalated threats to seize Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory. The White House now officially considers Greenland’s annexation a policy goal, with officials refusing to rule out military force. This isn’t mere posturing, Trump’s recent willingness to use force against Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela suggests he may actually follow through.
The implications are staggering. Denmark is a NATO member, meaning an American attack on Greenland would essentially destroy the alliance’s core principle: that member states defend each other. As Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen bluntly stated, such an action would end NATO and the entire post-World War II security architecture.
This couldn’t come at a worse time. With Russia grinding through Ukraine, European unity matters more than ever. Yet Trump’s hemispheric power grab—viewing Greenland as part of America’s “backyard”—mirrors exactly the logic Putin uses to justify his invasions. Experts warn this would hand Moscow its greatest gift yet, legitimizing the principle that great powers can simply take what they want from smaller neighbors.
Trump’s stated rationale—security and resources—rings hollow. The US already operates military bases in Greenland under a 1953 treaty. The real drivers appear to be control of emerging Arctic shipping routes as ice melts, access to rare earth minerals, and raw territorial ambition.
Europe now faces a cruel dilemma: continue appeasing an increasingly erratic ally, or prepare for the unthinkable—that America itself has become a threat. Some experts suggest deploying European troops to Greenland as a deterrent, the same strategy that protected the Baltics from Russia.
The world order built on rules and alliances is crumbling, replaced by one where might makes right. And the demolition is coming from within.
