There Can Be No Going Back, Says Trump As Greenland Push Puts NATO in a Bind
There Can Be No Going Back, Says Trump As Greenland Push Puts NATO in a Bind
M.U.H
20/01/202618
US President Donald Trump is pushing forward one of his most controversial foreign policy ideas with a post on Truth Social, declaring that Greenland was “imperative for National and World Security” and insisting that “there can be no going back”. Trump said he had spoken to Mark Rutte, adding that the parties had agreed to meet in Davos. Framing American power as the ultimate guarantor of peace, Trump argued that strength — backed by a rebuilt US military — was the only credible deterrent.
Behind the rhetoric, however, the idea of an American military takeover of Greenland is riddled with contradictions that could upend the transatlantic security order. The most immediate casualty would be North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Founded in 1949 and now comprising 32 members, NATO rests on Article 5 — the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all. A US move against Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, would place the alliance in an unprecedented bind: its most powerful member violating the territorial integrity of another. Denmark has indicated it would invoke Article 5, but what follows such a scenario remains deeply uncertain.
Ironically, Trump's posture could hand strategic wins to Washington's adversaries. Any fracture within NATO would be welcomed in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin has long sought to weaken the alliance and divert attention from Ukraine. While the Greenland push is justified as a way to blunt Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic, analysts argue that the most effective counter remains defeating Russia in Ukraine. Targeting Greenland, they say, does little to advance that goal.
There is also the question of necessity. The US already enjoys extensive access under a 1951 treaty with Greenland and once operated 17 bases there — most of which Washington itself chose to shut down. These facilities could be reactivated if required. Moreover, while China and Russia are expanding Arctic activity, the pressure point is seen more around Alaska than Greenland.
Despite the uncertainty, the White House has not ruled out force. At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has spoken of discussions with European officials about purchasing Greenland — an idea firmly rejected in Copenhagen and Nuuk, where even entertaining a sale could topple governments.
The renewed push appears driven by powerful Trump-aligned interests at home. Tech investor Peter Thiel has floated libertarian “post-nation” settlements, Elon Musk has shown interest in rare earths beneath the ice, and billionaire Ronald Lauder is said to have first planted the idea — underscoring that Greenland, once again, sits at the crossroads of power, profit and geopolitics.
