The only good thing to say about the great Greenland crisis of 2026 is that it’s probably over. Anyone looking for any benefits associated with this exercise is wasting their time.
Speaking Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Donald Trump ruled out using military force to seize Greenland. A few hours later, he backed off threatened tariffs against European countries for siding with the Danes.
The retreat from confrontation came in response to backlash from global financial markets, especially bond futures. European leaders even showed some backbone. (Take note, congressional Republicans.)
Trump, after talking with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, said that a “framework” for negotiating a future Greenland deal would allow the U.S. to install missile defense systems. Never mind that there already is a Space Force base in Greenland. The Danes had even welcomed a larger military presence, though that friendliness waned after being forced to wonder who the Americans would be coming to fight.
The biggest risk of the Greenland kerfuffle is that Trump signaled to NATO’s adversaries that the U.S. is not fully committed to defending all member states if they come under attack in the future. On Denmark selling Greenland, for example, Trump said: “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember.”
Asked by a reporter what he meant by that, Trump said: “You’ll have to figure that out for yourself.” Such ambiguity leads to misunderstandings, which can lead to war.
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