Trump's imperial designs

US President Donald Trump was never one to colour between the lines, throwing decades of US foreign and domestic policies out of the window as he seeks to reshape his country in his own Baroque image, but if he acts on his revived threats to take control of Greenland, he will cross a bridge that every one of his predecessors has refused to approach. Coming on the heels of the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which broke from his generally non-interventionist track record, there is also domestic and international concern that the erratic president has no endgame in mind.

And while the US is no stranger to foreign misadventures, regime change and violations of international law, past presidents have made it a point to at least comply with American laws. Trump, however, faces credible accusations of breaking several US laws with the attack on Venezuela, including failure to get permission from Congress and the abduction of a foreign head of state. The Greenland situation is equally concerning, as the US has repeatedly acknowledged through bilateral and multilateral treaties over the past 100-plus years that the territory is part of Denmark.

Trump's claim that there is no written proof of Danish ownership thus reflects not only his lack of knowledge, but also the incompetence of his advisers, who either did not know about the treaties, or worse, are purposefully feeding Trump disinformation. There is legitimate concern that the latter is true, because Trump's rhetoric is now threatening to kill NATO, as any military move on Greenland would require the rest of the organisation to defend the territory against US aggression.

Even if Trump backs down in this case, it will only increase questions about his ability and competence to serve as commander in chief of the US military. But the only way to stop him is for his Cabinet members and elected Republicans to choose country over party, which is a long shot, as only one Republican has condemned his Greenland rhetoric on record.