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Greenland: Nice Place You Have Here…
I can understand some of the reasons for Trump’s tariffs here and there, even though some of the language around them seems more belligerent than necessary, particularly when it involves traditional allies.
I understand the joke of Canada as the 51st state, which would be a horrible idea, and if I were Canadian I would be insulted.
Usha Vance is visiting Greenland, along with a group of officials, including Mike “Signal” Waltz, and J.D. announced he’s going with her. The visit has the feel of a mafia shakedown, with the President insisting, “We need it.”
If I were a Greenlander, I would take it as a threat. As an American supporter of the President (mostly), I take it as a threat.
Seems to me a partnership, increased investment and a stronger military presence in Greenland would be a pretty easy bargain to make, without threatening a takeover. Why not reach out to the Prime Minister and schedule some security discussions? Heck, invite him to the White House for dinner. He’s probably tired of eating blubber anyway.
Am I wrong? Seems like this one would be easy to handle.
Published in General
Maybe a little more carrot and a little less stick is in order.
The 57,000 citizens of Greenland should hold out for payments of $5 million each, the price Trump plans to charge foreigners for US citizenship. The total price to acquire Greenland would be $285 billion, a bargain.
No, you’re not wrong. Anders Puck Nielsen (a Dane) who posts some of the most clear-headed analyses of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, made that point early on. Trump would have had no more trouble than past presidents had in negotiating all the space we needed for more military bases in Greenland. And though Nielsen didn’t make this exact point, Trump could have struck an especially good deal by pointing out the U.S. contribution to Denmark’s and Greenland’s defense in the weapons we have provided to Ukraine.
A safe assumption is that Trump is lying. Again. You may have noticed his obsession with underground mineral resources. That’s more likely what he wants. Global warning is making them more accessible, and Trump wants ’em. I’ll bet he could strike a good deal for them, too, if it was put in terms of cooperating with Denmark and Greenland on defense.
It’s gotten to the point where the gift shop has asked Usha not to visit, so everything about the visit is being scaled back.
This is what they call an “own goal.”
From what I’ve read, the sentiment in Greenland is for independence. Why not just show them the benefits of making a closer alliance as a sovereign country?
I don’t understand the efficacy of the schoolyard bully technique.
I first had to look up Usha Vance (my guess was correct) and then added “gift shop” to the list of terms. It sounds as though they decided to quit bothering the Greenlanders and are going to visit one of the military bases instead.
Dunno why they expected anything different, and didn’t at least fish for an invite before inviting themselves into the country.
Now that the whole affair is much truncated, maybe Vance has time to go to Russia to lecture the country about freedom of speech and cultural decline. Pretty sure he knows how to do things like that.
You are not wrong at all…and VP Vances X post about why he is going was total cringe. More rakes this administration has stepped on…and yes…Mr. Goldberg being on that chain of communication is a an enormous blunder that this administration needed to admit to but couldn’t….if this were the Biden Administration this place would have 50 posts about it….sorry…that was a massive mess up and it is not a “witch hunt” (accept maybe some who think Waltz is too much of a neo-con)…..rakes rakes and more rakes…
I was really hopeful that the Trump administration would address these serious issues with real sober and judicious solutions….there are issues of trade with Canada, Mexico, and the EU as well as NATO issues….for sure one could argue there are more than the Biden administrations policies on Ukraine and Gaza…I was hoping President Trump was going to govern…hoping he would stop the progressive executive…not take it to its logical conclusion…thought maybe they would try to get statutory policies in place….hopeful that they would govern in a way to keep the new coalition together for the long term and not just pander to the die hards….but nope…all we have are a bunch of 5 year olds getting revenge for someone calling them a bad name in the school yard. Nothing they have done is long term accept the damage done to allies….but hey..it plays great on Truth Social…..
A 100% blown opportunity and one that is unfortunately the last to end the progressive experiment…another 6 months of this and the Democrats will take both houses in 2026 and then either AOC or someone worse will be president in 2028….Ben Shapiro was right…be wary of the Berniites and don’t fall hook line and sinker for the mirage that the Democrats are in the wilderness….
I think I found the X post you’re talking about. I liked how he started, “Hey, guys, it’s Shady Vance, the Vice President…”
Elsewhere on Ricochet people have been talking about why there is a “d” in fridge but not in “refrigerator.”
As someone whose first name also starts with “J” I find these things to be interesting.
I don’t understand it, either. We already have a military base on Greenland and the Greenlanders may be very receptive to an expansion of it. Do we need another base in another location? Let’s see if we can make a deal. If American companies are hot for Greenland’s minerals, they can make a deal. Why do we need to own Greenland, in opposition to the desires of the Greenlanders? Maybe there’s a good case for that, but I haven’t heard it.
And let’s say we do pressure and bully Greenland and Denmark into accepting our annexation. Will this be helpful or harmful to our relationships with other European countries? Will it be useful for us to have a U.S. territory whose citizens resent the hell out of the USA?
Trump may be looking for a better deal, but in negotiations, you always over-ask. It is basically a given that Denmark is not up to keeping Russia or China from grabbing territory in Greenland’s far north.
Trump may well be waiting for a counter offer.
Over-asking is one thing. Intimidating with military threats is another. It doesn’t pave the way for further negotiations.
If Canada said that they would like to buy a portion of Alaska, maybe we would consider it. If they said they need it and are going to get it with or without our cooperation, that certainly isn’t going to warm us up to negotiating with them. Maybe Trump is a genius negotiator or maybe he’s just an ass.
Monroe Doctrine redux? We always applied it southward, never north. I’m not sure the investment angle will play. If I recall the map accurately, the US base is far from a population center. Not that US bases haven’t created their own population centers in the past, just like the Roman forts did, but there are only 74k people in the whole country.
Pituffik doesn’t appear to be a plum assignment, but maybe it is if you’re in the Space Command.
I still say that we need Greenland the way England needed Australia so long ago, as a penal colony.
Invest in the cities, such as they are, upgrade everything. Mollify the locals with much wampum, whatever they want — welcome to America!
And then carve out thirty square miles about 100 miles up the coast, erect some Quonset huts, and start shipping terrorists and MS13 gang members up to Camp Sunshine.
Come up with some useful work they could do, and pay them in coal for the coal stove in each hut. Maybe teach them to fish.
Or just making a better offer for Greenland. Which, if they were not part of the US, they might accept. And then we’d have a big problem.
(Yawn)
Been to Greenland, and as a civilian to the US military base – beau coup years ago.
(Edit: Seems like it was North of the Arctic Circle – and very laid back?)
Trump could cut that off at the pass by threatening to withhold support for NATO and Ukraine.
Oops, I forgot. He blew up that leverage. Oh, well. Too bad he didn’t think ahead.
They could do the mining.
The plan is to take over Gaza and move all the Gazans out to other countries, right? Maybe we’ll keep right on rolling with that sort of policy. We’ll take over Greenland (renaming it Red, White, and Blueland) and deport the Greenlanders to Gaza. Then we can annex Canada and deport all the Canadians to Greenland.
I prefer the other one. Mar-A-Igloo.
If they have a plan for California, I MIGHT listen with fresh, Dumbo-like, ears.
They’ve made such a mess of it, it may have to lay fallow for a while, before rebuilding.
Should we spread salt first?
Naw, salt doesn’t kill that kind of slugs.
Why fallow? LA and SF have fertilizer everywhere.
But it needs time to work.
Mrs. Vance was actually wearing an actual N-3B Air Force parka this morning. lol Well done.
My vote is for “ass.”
One doesn’t have to be a gentleman to be President. It might even be a handicap.
I’ve never claimed to be a negotiator. I thought when you want to buy something whose price is negotiable, the trick is to play it cool. Don’t gush to the car salesman about how much you love this car. If he thinks you can take it or leave it, maybe he’ll sweeten the deal to persuade you to buy. Telling people “We need this” and will do whatever it takes to get it doesn’t seem like the way to get a lower price. And hinting that you’ll get it one way or another (when dealing with friendly countries, I will add) makes Trump sound like a mobster.