Greenland: Sending in the advance guard

The Vice President's trip to Greenland was cut short after facing backlash from local officials and residents

J.D. Vance
J.D. Vance said Greenlanders would fare 'a lot better' under 'the United States' security umbrella' than under Denmark's.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Vice President J.D. Vance went to Greenland last week to "make the case for a U.S. takeover," said Clarissa-Jan Lim in MSNBC.com, and was met with a "frosty reception." Vance joined his wife, Usha, for a daylong visit to a U.S. military base, which came amid President Trump's calls for the U.S. to annex the self-governing Danish territory. In a press conference there, Vance said Greenlanders would fare "a lot better" under "the United States' security umbrella" than under Denmark's, and admonished Denmark for "underinvesting" in the territory. But it was a message few seemed interested in hearing. What had been planned as a three-day trip by Usha Vance was dialed back after an "uproar among local officials" and residents; Greenland Prime Minister Mute B. Egede called the visit a "provocation" and declined to meet with U.S. officials. But Trump only doubled down, saying "we have to have Greenland" and refusing to rule out the use of military force.

It's a remarkable turn of events, said Walter Russell Mead in The Wall Street Journal. For anyone who believes U.S. foreign policy should be guided by partnerships with allies, "respect for international law, and due regard for ethics," Trump's threats toward a NATO ally are "a political absurdity and a moral monstrosity." He risks "blowing up" both NATO and the "framework of international laws and norms" that has guided the post-war era. And for what? Trump says U.S. control of Greenland is key to national security, but Denmark has made clear it is open to the U.S. basing additional forces there. The Vance visit, which included national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, underscored Trump's "territorial ambitions," said David E. Sanger in The New York Times. Over it hung a mystery: "How far Trump is willing to go to achieve his goal."

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