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Since his first term, President Trump has expressed a desire for the United States to own Greenland, a massive ice-covered island in the Arctic that has been part of the Danish Kingdom for more than 300 years. Those remarks continued when he returned to power last year — as did Denmark’s assertions that the territory was not for sale. Over the past week, Mr. Trump’s efforts have turned into a full-blown pressure campaign against Denmark and other European nations in his bid to take over the island, whether by purchasing it or by seizing it through military force.
What have you heard about this campaign? What questions do you have about what is happening?
Before sharing your reaction, explore the resources below to learn why Mr. Trump is targeting Greenland, the world’s largest island, and what his bid means for the United States and the rest of the globe.
What is happening?
In “Why Does Trump Want to Take Over Greenland?” Amelia Nierenberg and Maya Tekeli explain:
President Trump and his allies have said repeatedly that the United States wants to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the president wants to buy it. Stephen Miller, a top aide to the president, has suggested that the United States could take it by force.
Mr. Trump and his advisers have floated various reasons for taking over the territory: national and international security, access to minerals and the “psychological” necessity. He wrote in a text message to Norway’s prime minister on Sunday that he was pushing to acquire Greenland because Norway did not give him the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mr. Trump has escalated the pressure campaign in recent days, despite forceful objections from the leaders of Greenland and Denmark that they are not interested in a sale, and that Greenland does not want to become part of the United States.
On Saturday, in a Truth Social post, he threatened that if the United States could not buy Greenland, he would retaliate against European nations that have opposed a deal by imposing fresh tariffs — starting with 10 percent in February, then 25 percent in June.
European leaders are weighing how to respond. Some, including President Emmanuel Macron of France, have urged the use of a trade “bazooka,” which could impose limits on business by big U.S. technology companies in Europe. Others hope to negotiate, fearing that pushing back forcefully could permanently damage the NATO alliance that for nearly 80 years has united trans-Atlantic nations.
What is NATO?
The article above mentions that military action would rip apart NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The United States and Denmark are both founding NATO members.
Why does that matter? This short video from the U.S. State Department explains what NATO is and why it was formed. To learn more, visit the NATO website.
What do Mr. Trump’s actions mean for the United States and the rest of the world?
In this news analysis piece, “With Threats to Greenland, Trump Sets America on the Road to Conquest,” Peter Baker writes about why this moment is significant in American history:
Never in the past century has America gone forth to seize other countries’ land and subjugate its citizens against their will. Since the days of World War I, America was the country that resisted conquest, standing up to Hitler’s Germany, Tojo’s Japan, Stalin’s Soviet Union, Kim Il-sung’s North Korea and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq when they seized foreign terrain. Now Mr. Trump aspires to put America into the category of conquerors.
Coercing a loyal ally into giving up territory over its adamant objections would have been seen not long ago as preposterous, even mad — indeed, one of Mr. Trump’s own cabinet secretaries in his first term privately considered it delusional when he raised it back then. But it is a measure of how much Mr. Trump has changed the definition of normal that his appetite for seizing land that does not belong to him is debated as a serious proposition rather than dismissed out of hand as a brazen violation of U.S. treaty obligations and international law.
Not that the United States has always respected the sovereignty of other nations. There have been plenty of times in its history when America has toppled governments or temporarily occupied countries it considered hostile. But never has it done so against a longtime ally that posed no threat. And not since the Spanish-American War of 1898 has it kept territory that it captured through force of arms.
How has the rest of the world responded? Mr. Baker continues:
Suddenly, America is viewed as the rapacious aggressor likeliest to seize NATO territory, not Russia. During the singing of the national anthem before an N.B.A. game in London on Sunday, a spectator shouted, “Leave Greenland alone!” generating applause. Protesters took to the streets in Denmark and Greenland over the weekend, chanting, “Yankee, go home!” The Russians, for their part, cheered the discord, chortling about the “collapse of the transatlantic union,” as Kirill Dmitriev, the Kremlin negotiator, put it.
Students, read both articles in their entirety, and then tell us:
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What is your reaction to Mr. Trump’s effort to seize Greenland? What are you thinking and feeling as you read this news?
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What stands out to you most about Mr. Trump’s rationale for wanting to acquire Greenland? Which of the reasons listed in the articles, if any, seem legitimate to you? Which seem illegitimate? Why?
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What do you think the United States’ threats against its allies mean for NATO? How important do you think this alliance is, and why? How do you think a rupture of this alliance would affect the United States and the world?
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Mr. Baker writes that with his effort to take over Greenland, “Mr. Trump aspires to put America into the category of conquerors.” What is your reaction to the possibility of the United States becoming a “conqueror,” a nation that seizes other countries’ land and subjugates its citizens against their will? What would that mean for the United States and the rest of the world?
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What additional questions do you have about this situation? What more do you want to know before formulating an opinion about it?
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Mr. Baker writes that the bid for Greenland “is a measure of how much Mr. Trump has changed the definition of normal.” One year into his second term, how do you think Mr. Trump has changed the United States and the presidency? In your opinion, are these changes for better or for worse? Why?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Natalie Proulx is an editor at The Learning Network, a Times free teaching resource.
The post What Is Your Reaction to President Trump’s Campaign to Seize Greenland? appeared first on New York Times.
