US - Greenland Crisis Thread

[Valmy]

Nukes. You need nukes Europe. Search your hearts, you know it to be true.

[Norgy]

Can I: have heavy water plant?

[Sheilbh]

Nukes. You need nukes Europe. Search your hearts, you know it to be true.

Yes - as I say I'd be very surprised if this isn't the lesson Poland and Turkiye (and for that matter Brazil and others) are drawing from it.

Whether it's Iraq or Libya or Ukraine or this - I think the lesson of the last 25 years on WMDs is pretty unfortunate.

[Sheilbh]

Can I: have heavy water plant?

And this time we won't send Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris in heavy knitwear to stop it

[Jacob]

If the Democrats win the mid-terms the focus needs to be on systematically re-asserting the power (and prestige) of Congress and not just reverting to deference and an imperial presidency.

Well yes.

If they win. And if they get their shit together.

[DGuller]

Who would have thought that Obama winning that prize and making a few jokes would eventually cause the destruction of NATO and the end of Pax Americana. Truly the Vienna art school rejection of our times.

Obama has been a great statesmen, but the few flaws he had proved to be utterly disastrous for the US.  His inability to comprehend that his rivals could be playing not by his rules, or his ability to inspire his rivals by mocking them, have really contributed to the dire state of things we're in today.

[Bauer]

Yeah, more like a heavily armed, incredible rich grizzly bear with rabies.

Perfect meme 

[crazy canuck]

Someone is selling red MAGA baseball caps in Denmark.  Make America Go Away.

[mongers]

Will this be used as cover for a photo-op invasion?

Meanwhile, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) on Monday announced that multiple aircraft are on their way to Pituffik Space Base in Greenland.

The joint US-Canada military defence organisation stressed they are part of a routine operation "to support various long-planned Norad activities", and said they had been coordinated with Denmark and that the government of Greenland had been informed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g5345ylk0o


I'd add maybe he want to do something bigley, so he can swagger into Davos on Wednesday, if they'll have him that is?

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, I'm guessing the Putin faction inside the White House outmanoeuvred the Israel faction when it comes to Iran.

Maybe - I understand a US carrier has just arrived in the Persian Gulf and that, as we speak, the US are deploying more air force resources to the region too. It may just be that the forces weren't in place.

Although I worried that Trump's statements on social media were a little Bush and the Kurds of voicing very strong support without the willingness (or possibly resources in the region) to actually do anything.

Will this be used as cover for a photo-op invasion?

I think the NORAD statement is actually kind of astonishing in how clearly it's trying to say "this is not an invasion". The "enduring" line is quite striking:

North American Aerospace Defense Command
@NORADCommand
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) aircraft will soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland.  Along with aircraft operating from bases in the continental United States and Canada, they will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the enduring defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark.

This activity has been coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark, and all supporting forces operate with the requisite diplomatic clearances.  The Government of Greenland is also informed of planned activities.

NORAD routinely conducts sustained, dispersed operations in the defense of North America, through one or all three NORAD regions (Alaska, Canada, and the continental U.S.).

[Tonitrus]

I mean, if it were a cover, it'd be weird that Canada would be going along with it.

[DGuller]

If there is one encouraging piece of news, the Polymarket is only giving 20% probability of Trump acquiring Greenland before 2027.  That said, I didn't check the conditions for the bet paying off, I imagine they might get pretty complex.