cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7274207

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/18014

Prime ministers and chancellors across Europe appear increasingly worried that the United States could soon move to occupy Greenland in one form or another, following fresh statements by US President Donald Trump about the territory’s importance to national and international security – code, many agree, for US strategic interests.

A series of concerned statements appeared in recent days, even as many of the same leaders have remained remarkably unfazed by illegal US attacks on Venezuela. “You cannot annex another country, not even with an argument about international security,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said (on Greenland, not Venezuela). Similarly, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated: “Our country is not something that can be annexed or taken over simply because someone feels like it.”

Read more: Africa voices outrage against US invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Maduro

“In this regard, the support of our European NATO allies means a great deal,” Nielsen was also quoted saying. “It is a clear message that territorial integrity, sovereignty, and international rules continue to apply and are to be respected.” Interestingly enough, European leaders made little meaningful reference to sovereignty when commenting on the US attack on Caracas and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.

Nielsen’s remarks referred to a joint statement of support attributed to the heads of government of major EU member states, including Italy, Spain, Poland, and Germany, along with the United Kingdom. The same statement, however, avoids explicitly naming President Trump’s actions as the source of regional concern. Nor does it suggest in any way that European officials have drawn lessons from recent US assaults on Latin America. Instead, it reflects the persistence of a belief in the possibility of an equal partnership between Europe and the US. Together with this misconception, some statements also include what appears to be – mildly put – a very outdated conviction that European territories carry greater significance and respect than others. “When the President of the United States speaks of ‘needing Greenland’ and links us to Venezuela and military intervention, it is not just wrong,” Nielsen said. “It is disrespectful.”

Read more: Popular movements and workers across Asia condemn US aggression in Venezuela

Surprised reactions come despite Trump having repeatedly and openly belittled – some on the left would say humiliated – his European counterparts, without provoking any meaningful response. “How could he fear people who do not even dare to name him as the problem?” Jean-Luc Mélenchon asked at a recent event.

Left figures including Mélenchon have been quick to join the dots between US attacks in Latin America and Europe’s lack of response. “Emboldened by the international community’s inaction following its illegal military operation in Venezuela, the US president is now giving free rein to his imperial ambitions,” French MEP Emma Fourreau wrote on social media. “Behind the pretext of national security lies a colonial and productivist project. As with Venezuelan oil, the US wants to get its hands on Greenland’s mining resources, especially its rare earths.”

“If European leaders apply international law selectively – tough on rivals, permissive toward allies – they undermine the only shield that protects small countries, including themselves,” Peter Mertens, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA), warned. “The result is predictable: more blackmail, more sanctions, and more violence as a method of negotiation. Greenland is the next announced victim of this submission.”

The post Fears persist in Europe over potential US move on Greenland appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

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