US - Greenland Crisis Thread

[mongers]

Just watched the last bit of the video, and I agree with his analysis that Europe needs to escalate to descalate to placate/win over Trump. It is the only thing that works with bullies like him.

Yes it's the best plausible route out of this crisis.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

You never really know until the moment is actually there.
Spine needs to be grown however, and that takes time.
And european politicians, as reflections of the electorate, are a bit slow in growing them. Cause they fear losing the next election, and with that access to the gravy (cause if politicians are unwilling to push through necessary but impopular things, then why else are they still in politics?)

[Jacob]

While my sympathies lie with Europe on the Greenland issue, the reality is Europe is viewed by Trump as weak because Europe is weak. It is weak because it isn't a country, and most of its people don't actually care about the well being of Europe as a whole, only about their own country--if even that.

To juxtapose--prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR, despite steadily trying to build support, had failed to convince even 40% of the public that participation in WW2 was to the country's benefit.

One day after Pearl Harbor over 90% of America supported the war, and only a single pacifist congresswoman voted against the declarations of war that followed.

If someone were to attack say, Greece, is there any chance at all someone in Spain or Ireland will care? Maybe enough to Tweet about it. Enough to commit their sons to war over it? Nope. Not a chance.

Americans were willing to send their sons to fight and die because an island 5,000 miles away, that had an American flag on it, got bombed. Europe has nothing like that, and is unlikely to ever have it.

I wouldn't bet against that an attack on Greenland could become a Pearl Harbour moment for Europe. I wouldn't bet on it either though.

Maybe we'll find out.

[Legbiter]

Otto is dangerously close to copeposting. "Of course the natives won't resist militarily". Invading Greenland would shatter the West, destroy the global American empire, kick the US back to power projecting from Mar-a-Lago, the dollar would cease to be the global reserve currency (no more bass boats for the lower orders, just honest hard work at the toaster factory) and a scramble to acquire nuclear weapons by former allies in a lot of places.

[Legbiter]

Lol France is deploying their carrier battle group to the Far North on an open ended schedule. So the US will have to bring in a couple of their own to balance that out.

https://x.com/DI313_/status/2013694461520552201

[Tonitrus]

What is the HMS Queen Elizabeth doing right now?

[Jacob]

Is there a non-twitter source for that?

[mongers]

Just watched the last bit of the video, and I agree with his analysis that Europe needs to escalate to descalate to placate/win over Trump. It is the only thing that works with bullies like him.

[Legbiter]

Is there a non-twitter source for that?

Check around for French sources, it's legit, this was originally just a Far North training exercise, but since the US started scaring the hoes (threatening to kill us en masse...unless), shit suddenly got real.

[Zanza]

I think Otto has a point, but is exaggerating it. European countries did respond to the Article V call and e.g. the Baltics mission is serious. Germany for all its leisure seeking is building a heavy mechanised brigade there, by far the strongest postwar foreign mission for us.

And he forgets one thing relevant to the current situation that has actually existed in most European countries in a more or less cohesive political current and is currently boosted extremely: anti-Americanism. You will find a sizeable faction in each country that does not like American hegemony. That has a unifying force and creates political pressure at the grassroots level.

But don't expect much from Germany over Trump's recent threats. Our conservatives have some MAGA fans in their rows (economics minister, faction leader in parliament) so they will not support Macron's call for harsh trade war escalation. They will cave like their party member von der Leyen Last year.

[Legbiter]

I think Otto has a point, but is exaggerating it. European countries did respond to the Article V call and e.g. the Baltics mission is serious. Germany for all its leisure seeking is building a heavy mechanised brigade there, by far the strongest postwar foreign mission for us.

And he forgets one thing relevant to the current situation that has actually existed in most European countries in a more or less cohesive political current and is currently boosted extremely: anti-Americanism. You will find a sizeable faction in each country that does not like American hegemony. That has a unifying force and creates political pressure at the grassroots level.

But don't expect much from Germany over Trump's recent threats. Our conservatives have some MAGA fans in their rows (economics minister, faction leader in parliament) so they will not support Macron's call for harsh trade war escalation. They will cave like their party member von der Leyen Last year.

Trump decimated the Canadian conservatives with his annexation threats. He has saved the Danish Left who are now the hard-nosed patriots unironically preparing to repel an invasion of Greenland. Locally US foreign policy has completely demoralized the sturdy pro-US bedrock center-right Independence party.

[Grey Fox]

Is there a non-twitter source for that?

https://twitter-thread.com/t/2013694461520552201

[Valmy]

And he forgets one thing relevant to the current situation that has actually existed in most European countries in a more or less cohesive political current and is currently boosted extremely: anti-Americanism.

Well this is also very true in Mexico and Canada and for decades we did a pretty decent job keeping them managed.

Now anti-Americanism is running amok in those countries with likely very bad long term consequences. Which makes sense. I am pretty anti-American myself these days.

Biden found Trump has poisoned the well in many places once he became President and I suspect if the Democrats regain the presidency in 2029 it will be far worse.

To Conservatives this is all just a big joke. They couldn't care less if everybody hates us and opposes us and tries to undermine our trade and our interests. It's weird. Total internet troll brain.