Denmark and the U.S. are set to meet this week to discuss president Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently hinted at President Trump’s willingness to use military force to seize the island. In a closed-door meeting with members of Congress, Rubio reportedly insisted that the administration’s real goal is to purchase Greenland. A growing number of key Republicans in Congress now publicly oppose pressuring Denmark into selling Greenland. More than 90% of Americans disapprove of using force to annex Greenland.
Citizens and elected officials are right to oppose any attempt to formally add Greenland to the United States. The public discourse, though, has largely missed the mark in articulating why the administration should avoid this temptation. One commonly cited reason for opposing the acquisition of Greenland is that doing so would be “stupid.” Sen. Thom Tillis recently said that he is “sick of stupid,” while Sen. John Kennedy called the idea of an invasion “weapons-grade stupid.” Another line of argument is that antagonizing Denmark would undercut NATO, which could lead to a less stable world. This scenario, argues New York Times columnist David French, would likely lead to the return of great power wars.
Neither of these positions truly engages with Trump’s stance on Greenland. To show why restraint here is the right move, it is vital to have a clear picture of the world today.
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