Newsletters
Danish academic Peter Viggo Jakobsen said a possible U.S. military move to annex Greenland would effectively destroy NATO, arguing it would undermine allies’ confidence in Washington’s commitment to collective defense.
Jakobsen, who works at the Royal Danish Defence College and the University of Southern Denmark Centre for War Studies, spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) while assessing U.S. rhetoric toward Greenland following Washington’s military operation in Venezuela.
Jakobsen said it would be relatively easy for the United States to carry out a military intervention in Greenland because there is no force on the island capable of resisting such a move.
However, he added that the political, economic and strategic costs would be far higher, making such a scenario unlikely.
He said U.S. military intervention against Venezuela differs fundamentally from any use of force against Greenland.
While Washington has long viewed Venezuela as an adversary with few allies, Greenland is a cooperative ally that poses no threat to the United States, Jakobsen said.
Jakobsen said a military move against Greenland would trigger strong international backlash and would be strategically unwise, potentially jeopardizing not only NATO but also U.S. alliances in Asia.
He rejected claims that Russian or Chinese vessels pose a threat to U.S. interests around Greenland, saying such assertions exist only in the imagination of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“There are no Chinese or Russian ships threatening U.S. interests in Greenland,” Jakobsen said.
He noted that the United States has framed Greenland as a national interest since the early 1900s and has demonstrated this by maintaining military bases on the island since World War II, a reality long accepted by Denmark and the international community.
Jakobsen said what is new is not U.S. interest in Greenland, but the unusual way that interest is now being expressed.
He stressed that Greenland remains strategically important for maritime routes, mineral resources and early warning systems against long-range nuclear threats from Russia and China.
Recalling comments by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Jakobsen said any U.S. attack on another NATO member would bring everything to a halt.
“If the United States annexes Greenland, NATO would effectively be dead,” he said. “All NATO countries would conclude that the U.S. is unlikely to come to their aid in the event of a Russian attack.”
Jakobsen said the Greenland issue will continue to be discussed but added that the Trump administration has so far taken only one concrete step by appointing a special envoy for Greenland and that there is currently no situation requiring serious concern.
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
