The recent decision by several European nations to send troops to Greenland risks escalating tensions and playing into Donald Trump’s hands, according to political analyst Simon Jenkins. Writing in the Guardian, Jenkins argued that the US president’s designs on the island are ‘clearly mad’ and that European military gestures only raise the temperature and generate fear, exactly what Trump wants.
Trump claims that Russia and China are plotting to seize Greenland and that Denmark should urgently transfer sovereignty. However, Denmark has long allowed the US extended military access, and Trump’s staff have offered no justification for owning the territory. Jenkins noted that Norway, Sweden, France, and Germany are now sending troops, with Britain even deploying a military officer, creating an absurd prospect of a possible US attack.
Jenkins compared the Greenland escalation to Trump’s recent threats against Iran and his military action in Venezuela, where he claimed victory after US forces killed over 100 people in Caracas. He argued that Trump resembles a ‘shoplifting addict’ grabbing resources like oilfields or mines, driven by reckless vanity rather than strategy.
The analyst stressed that the US constitution’s term limit remains the ultimate check on presidential power. With Trump due to leave office in three years and midterm elections likely to revive congressional balance, Jenkins urged allies not to fall into Trump’s trap by hyping national security fears. He cautioned against treating China and Russia as existential threats to Britain, noting that Russia has never invaded a Nato country despite decades of warnings from the defence lobby.
