A divided West on the brink
There will be attempts to deescalate after the threats to Greenland, no doubt. Even so, the West is changing fundamentally.
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Well, that’s the end of that it was nice while it lasted. The West, I mean. The announcement that Britain and seven NATO allies from northern Europe will face 10% US tariffs, rising to 25%, for defending the right of Greenland and Denmark to self-determination, surely spells the end of any viable Western alliance.
Or does it?
Already there is intense diplomatic activity underway in the aftermath of the threats made by President Trump. Mark Rutte, the NATO Secretary General, said on social media on Sunday afternoon that he has spoken to POTUS and looks forward to speaking to him again about all this at Davos, where Trump is travelling to make a presumably hard-hitting speech later this month at the globalised festival of delusion.
It would not be surprising if the northern European countries threatened with increased tariffs attempt to deescalate in the days ahead in the hope someone in Washington persuades the President that he really cannot go around invading NATO allies. What seems to have irked Trump was the news of small deployments by other NATO nations to Greenland on a reconnaissance mission after he demanded ownership of Greenland. Let’s see, though, what Trump says next. At the time of writing, on Sunday evening, he has been quiet on social media. That could change any minute.