On Friday, Vice President JD Vance visited a small American army 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 mentioned, which was patently absurd on its face.
Has anybody invaded Greenland in many years? After all not. And the American army 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 way of that alliance’s collective protection that Greenland has been stored protected. Certainly, the American presence on Greenland exists exactly as a result of Denmark allowed that presence. So … how is Denmark not holding it protected?
“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 working new transport routes close to the arctic, congratulations—it’s Republican coverage denying the existence of world local weather change that has made that attainable. And but it’s Canada and the Nordic nations which have the polar icebreaker capabilities to claim army dominance within the area—not america. That’s why the U.S. signed a treaty with Canada and Finland late final 12 months to bolster U.S. icebreaker development, one other treaty President Donald Trump might quickly shred.
As for Russia, it’s wealthy listening to Vance complain a couple of 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 distinguished 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 desires safety towards Russia, it higher run far, distant from Vance and Trump.
Vance’s insults are significantly 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 rather a lot for a nation of about 6 million. Denmark additionally deployed to Iraq—a battle that america began primarily based on lies—and suffered losses there as nicely.
Finally, as a NATO ally, Denmark has been open to permitting a larger American army presence in Greenland. There seems to be nothing stopping the NATO alliance, or america individually, from increase a presence in Greenland.
Navy vessel HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen of the Royal Danish Navy patrols close to Nuuk, Greenland, on March 5, 2025.
“We respect that the United States needs a greater military presence in Greenland, as Vice President Vance mentioned this evening,” mentioned Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen on X. “We, Denmark and Greenland, are very much open to discussing this with you.”
After all, this isn’t about defending Greenland. It’s about American appropriation of the island’s mineral wealth, with a lot of it being unlocked due to local weather change.
And Republicans actually shouldn’t need Greenland—or Canada—to hitch the U.S. They’re liberal, pro-social spending nations that might make it exceedingly tough for Republicans to win nationwide elections and compete in Congress (until each locations joined as U.S. territories).
Greenland doesn’t want the U.S. for its security, present treaty obligations (and the U.S. army presence on the island) already shield it. And Greenlanders certainly don’t need to lose their free well being care. (Identical goes for Canada.)
Hell, Denmark has common well being care, free school, and low earnings inequality. It’s rated because the second-safest nation on the planet. And—this can be 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!
Because of this, Danes are the second-happiest individuals on the planet, based on Gallup. The U.S. is method again at 24.
However, come to think about it, I’m warming to the thought of Greenland annexing america. We might profit from importing values like investing in our individuals’s welfare.
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