On Friday, Vice President JD Vance visited a small American navy outpost in Greenland, distant from Greenlanders who had made their displeasure on the go to exceedingly clear. From his distant location, Vance proceeded to insult our NATO ally Denmark.
“Denmark hasn’t done a good job at keeping Greenland safe,” Vance stated, which was patently absurd on its face.
Has anybody invaded Greenland in a long time? In fact not. And the American navy presence on the island, a part of an array of early-warning radars towards a Russian nuclear assault, is the explanation why.
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Denmark, which administers the partially autonomous island, is a member of NATO, and it’s by that alliance’s collective protection that Greenland has been stored secure. Certainly, the American presence on Greenland exists exactly as a result of Denmark allowed that presence. So … how is Denmark not retaining it secure?
“We know that too often our allies in Europe have not kept pace, they haven’t kept pace with military spending and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, China and other nations with interest in this area,” Vance added.
What hostile and “aggressive incursions” have Russia and China made?
If he’s speaking in regards to the melting polar icecaps and operating new delivery routes close to the arctic, congratulations—it’s Republican coverage denying the existence of worldwide local weather change that has made that doable. And but it’s Canada and the Nordic international locations which have the polar icebreaker capabilities to say navy dominance within the area—not america. That’s why the U.S. signed a treaty with Canada and Finland late final yr to bolster U.S. icebreaker development, one other treaty President Donald Trump could quickly shred.
As for Russia, it’s wealthy listening to Vance complain a few nation he and Trump routinely defend and assist. That features undermining Ukraine because it repels a Russian invasion, and arguing towards seizing Russian belongings to pay for Ukrainian protection and reconstruction.
As financier Invoice Browder, a outstanding Russia critic, put it on X: “When I worked on the Magnitsky Act in 2012, it passed the Senate 92-4. I joked afterwards that ‘there was no pro Putin torture and murder lobby in Washington’. I’m afraid to say that times have changed. Senator JD Vance is now parroting Putin’s exact words claiming that seizing Russian frozen assets would lead to catastrophe. Not only is he plain wrong, but we have to question his motivations.”
If Greenland needs safety towards Russia, it higher run far, distant from Vance and Trump.
Vance’s insults are notably egregious since Denmark has been a prepared participant in current U.S. wars within the Center East. In Afghanistan, over 40 Danish troopers died in fight, which is so much for a nation of about 6 million. Denmark additionally deployed to Iraq—a warfare that america began primarily based on lies—and suffered losses there as properly.
Finally, as a NATO ally, Denmark has been open to permitting a larger American navy presence in Greenland. There seems to be nothing stopping the NATO alliance, or america individually, from build up a presence in Greenland.
“We respect that the United States needs a greater military presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance mentioned this evening,” stated Danish International Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on X. “We, Denmark and Greenland, are very much open to discussing this with you.”
In fact, this isn’t about defending Greenland. It’s about American appropriation of the island’s mineral wealth, with a lot of it being unlocked as a result of of local weather change.
Denmark doesn’t need the U.S. to take over Greenland, however extra importantly, Greenlanders don’t need it. An awesome 85% oppose American annexation. Solely 6% assist it. Individuals, too, oppose it overwhelmingly. A Fox Information ballot discovered that solely 26% of U.S. registered voters assist Greenland annexation, whereas 70% oppose it, together with 44% of Republicans.
And Republicans actually shouldn’t need Greenland—or Canada—to affix the U.S. They’re liberal, pro-social spending international locations that may make it exceedingly tough for Republicans to win nationwide elections and compete in Congress (except each locations joined as U.S. territories).
Greenland doesn’t want the U.S. for its security, current treaty obligations (and the U.S. navy presence on the island) already shield it. And Greenlanders absolutely don’t wish to lose their free well being care. (Similar goes for Canada.)
Hell, Denmark has common well being care, free faculty, and low earnings inequality. It’s rated because the second-safest nation on the earth. And—it is a good one—the conservative Heritage Basis, authors of the authoritarian Undertaking 2025 playbook, offers Denmark the seventh-highest financial freedom rating on the planet. The U.S. ranks twenty seventh. It’s a pro-business socialist utopia!
In consequence, Danes are the second-happiest individuals on the earth, in line with Gallup. The U.S. is approach again at 24.
However, come to consider it, I am warming to the concept of Greenland annexing america. We’d profit from importing values like investing in our individuals’s welfare.
