One of the worrying sights seafarers face is that of a storm on the horizon. Especially when one’s curse is towards it!
I know that this blog is becoming like a broken record, but when I repeatedly suggested in some earlier posts that the US presidential election of 2024 will prove to be the most significant for the UK since the one held in 1940 has been proved right given the recent statements vis-à-vis Canada, Greenland and the Panama canal!
This has been confirmed as US President-elect Donald Trump has invited world leaders to his inauguration breaking with traditional US foreign policy where it is not customary for world leaders to attend the US President’s formal ascension ceremony to the Oval Office.
Mr Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping who is not attending but is likely to send a highly placed envoy which could either be Han Zheng, vice president and foreign minister Wang Yi. It is yet to be confirmed who shall attend.
NB: Sir Keir Starmer and President Macron have NOT been invited!
GOTO: https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/trumps-inauguration-guest-list-rcna187021
Sir Keir was criticised when he gave the go-ahead for the Labour Party to recruit and send 100 activists to assist in the campaign to elect Mrs Harris as President.
This was criticised as being reckless but the coming weeks and months will demonstrate just why Sir Keir Starmer took this action. You see, he knew and he knows that he, his government and collaterally, all of US Britons, are in for some economic and political turbulence! Things are going to get difficult!
Mr Trump’s statements vis-à-vis Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal have already put the Trump cat amongst the EU and NATO pigeons!
On the 9th January I blogged about how Mr Trump could set about obtaining Greenland for the USA (https://british-gazette.com/an-americans-dream/). However, these peaceful approaches require the co-operation of the Danes and the Greenlanders which whilst forthcoming will probably not be hurried. This because these politicians know that Mr Trump, whilst said to be the most powerful man in the world has one thing he cannot overpower: the clock!
You see, Mr Trump will be out of office four years to the day of his inauguration!
You see, Mr Trump is a man in a hurry. This because this will be his last term of office for even if he was able to amend the US constitution to allow for another term he is 78 now and will be 82 when he leaves office.
Mr Trump knows this. Mr Trump also knows that Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark knows this! He will know that the Danes and the Greenlanders will play for time. If Mr Trump cannot secure a rapid timetable for a decision via a referendum of Greenlanders and a satisfactory timetable of the legislative process of ratification of an annexation, Mr Trump will be advised by his staff that the only quick and sure way of securing Greenland is by conquest!
You see, one of the attractions Greenland offers to Mr Trump is it’s vast mineral wealth of critical and strategic “rare earths”. The Danish government and Parliament have banned the mining of these on environmental grounds. Given that the other main source of these is China, Mr Trump is NOT happy with this!
Now, the prospect of a war with Denmark is NOT something Mr Trump wants nor does any member of the US military. Doubtless however the US Marine Corps and the US Army will be tasked with planning an invasion/occupation of Greenland. Normally one would wait for the summer months but both General Randy A. George the Chief of Staff of the US Army and General Eric M. Smith the Commandant of the US Marine Corps would wish to quote Macbeth; “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly….”
An airborne assault is the most obvious method. Doing this in the winter months over Greenland is perilous but the USMC and their colleagues in the 101st Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment both of the US Army are composed of men who do not like to duck a challenge.
Militarily, these men will be able to secure what they have to secure quite quickly. However the operation will be carried out in 2025 and not 1925. This will mean that “public opinion” and I mean international public opinion as well as US public opinion will have to be taken into account by the US State Dept.
The problem for the US military will NOT be securing their positions but the aftermath. This is because of the consequences brought about by the existence of the animal below.
You see, if you walk into an average British home you will find a smoke alarm screwed on the ceiling. This is also the case with the average Greenland home. However, the average Greenland home will also have a steel cabinet which will contain one of these.
This is because polar bears occasionally approach settlements looking for food and they do attack humans!
This means that such weapons are widely distributed amongst Greenland’s population.
The potential/likely consequences do not require elaboration.
The political and diplomatic consequences of such an annexation will be extraordinarily severe.
NATO will collapse at that point. What will take it’s place will be a rapidly expanded Western European Union (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_European_Union) that will take in those member states who were in NATO but not in the WEU.
Thus at a stroke, Mr Trump will have divorced the USA from it’s treaty commitments under NATO and Article 5!
This leaves the question as to what to do with 57,000 angry people!
Presumably a sum of money plus the offer to buy such property they may own plus the cost of an airline ticket to another destination – most likely Copenhagen!
Of course, amongst the anger felt across Europe (and I include the British Isles in that description) there will be some who will have a secret smile of relief. This is likely to include Sir Keir Starmer!
This because Sir Keir will know that the ground will be cut from the Unfortunate Mr Farage’s feet!
Also secretly delighted will be this lady.
This because the reaction of most of the British Public will be one of outrage!
Mr Trump will NOT be on the average Briton’s Christmas card list for 2026!