Greenland dispute: Trump's remark sparks debate over US-Denmark relations

Recently, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated that he would not rule out the possibility of using force to take control of Greenland. In response to this remark, an article published by the American political news website Politico on the 10th sarcastically claimed, "Trump's invasion of Greenland would be the shortest war in the world."

The article notes that the United States and Denmark signed a bilateral defense agreement in 1951, pledging to protect Greenland from attack. However, 74 years later, the military threat to Greenland appears to be coming from the United States.

Citing NATO data, the report compares the military capabilities of Denmark and the United States to the biblical tale of "David versus Goliath," emphasizing the stark disparity in military strength and defense spending. The article adds, "While there is little question as to which country would win in a fight, Denmark might have a better chance if it turned to the lawyers."

Regarding the "hire a lawyer" suggestion, the author raises two questions from an international law perspective:

The United States, having secured the right to station troops in Greenland in exchange for promising to protect it, is now threatening the territory itself. "Denmark has been very aware it cannot defend Greenland against anybody on its own," said Kristian Søby Kristensen, a senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen's Center for Military Studies. If Trump did try to seize the territory by force, "the question is: Who would [the Americans] be fighting? Their own military? They're already there," he added.

As both Denmark and the United States are NATO members, under NATO's "collective defense principle," an attack on any member is considered an attack on all members. How would NATO respond to an invasion of Denmark by the United States?

The report highlights that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Denmark has been one of the most responsive NATO members to U.S. initiatives. Last year, Denmark's defense spending accounted for 2.37% of its GDP, exceeding NATO's 2% target. Denmark also purchased F-35 fighter jets from the United States and donated most of its heavy land combat equipment to Ukraine.

"You would essentially have a NATO member annexing the territory of another NATO member. So it would be pretty uncharted territory," said Agathe Demarais, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. "When you think about it, it doesn't make sense."

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