Trump plans to open US consulate in Greenland after row over offer to buy

[crazytown]

Source: The Guardian

The Trump administration is planning to open a US consulate in Greenland for the first time in decades, amid increased strategic and economic interest in the Danish territory.

The state department said in a letter to Congress that re-establishing a consulate in Nuuk is part of a broader plan to increase the US presence in the arctic. A copy of the letter was obtained by the Associated Press.

The US has a “strategic interest in enhancing political, economic, and commercial relationships across the Arctic region”, said the letter to the Senate foreign relations committee.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/24/donald-trump-us-consulate-greenland-denmark

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Trump said Danish PM is 'a wonderful woman', after she phoned and said nice things about him.

“We had a great conversation, he told reporters before leaving the White House for the G7 summit in France. “We have a very good relationship with Denmark … Very nice. She put a call in and I appreciated it very much.”

[duforsure]

1. He intentionally picks fights

To direct attention to change the news cycle away from bad news for him, and the media helps him do it by promoting fake news he puts out.

[BumRushDaShow]

3. THIS

[procon]

2. He'll have to ask Denmark for permission

to open a consulate. They might not be so eagar to a US presence in Greenland.

[crazytown]

5. I think that's what the 'great conversation' was about.

A U.S Consulate would bring welcome money and employment to Nuuk.

[procon]

7. Somethings are more important than money.

Trump has never learned that.

[GulfCoast66]

10. The US already had a huge presence in Greenland

With our Air Base at Thule.

The truth is closer ties with Greenland would actually be a good thing and is something any rational government would desire.

Unfortunately, we are now governed by an irrational maniac who just made closer cooperation much more difficult. Almost like it was planned that way. Although I don’t believe that. It would be crediting trump with the ability to reason.

[notdarkyet]

12. They won't. Because of trumps conversations the are putting military on their borders. They dont

Trust him and by extension us. Dont blame them. I don’t. Trust trump.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

18. That was my question, too.

Doesn't the host country have the authority to say "no" if they are so inclined ? Isn't it really up to their government to approve or disapprove such a request ? And how are terms/limits arranged ?

Anyone ?

[TomVilmer]

19. The establishment of consular relations...

... between States takes place by mutual consent, says the Vienna Convention On Consular Relations. But the relationship between Denmark and USA are not rooted in mutual consent, but by raw power.

The US army came to Greenland while Denmark was under German occupation, by "permission" from a civil servant at the Embassy. After WW2 ended Denmark wanted all the bases closed and the army gone, but had to settle with a deal giving USA right to specific bases, but also confirming Denmark's "sovereignty" over Greenland. Denmark then had to learn from the newspapers, that USA anyway were using much more of the area, than in the deal.

Bottom line is, if USA want's a consulate on Greenland, USA will make it. And we have to accept. But selling Greenland - that is another story!

[atreides1]

22. I think you're wrong.

The US would still need the permission of the Danish government, mainly because the situation has changed since WWII.

Currently there is only one active US military base located in Greenland, Thule AFB!

There was an attempt to build an underground base, Camp Century, but it was shutdown 60 years ago.


So, the US will still have to go through both the Danish government and the autonomous government of Greenland, in order to get permission to build a consulate...and I don't believe the Danes are going to be giving that a lot of consideration...for the time being!

[TomVilmer]

23. Yes. the situation has shiftet.

... but our common history has a lot more bumps. Here are a few:
-------------------------------------------

On Jan. 21, 1968, the Cold War grew significantly colder. It was on this day that an American B-52G Stratofortress bomber, carrying four nuclear bombs, crashed onto the sea ice of Wolstenholme Fjord in the northwest corner of Greenland.
The crash severely strained the United States’ relationship with Denmark, since Denmark’s 1957 nuclear-free zone policy had prohibited the presence of any nuclear weapons in Denmark or its territories.
The Thule crash revealed that the United States had actually been routinely flying planes carrying hydrogen nuclear bombs over Greenland, and one of those illicit flights had now resulted in the radioactive contamination of a fjord.
-------------------------------------------

In 2014, Greenlandic firms held three contracts with the US Air Force to provide transport and maintenance services for Thule Air Base, a military facility in the north-western corner of the country.
That number is now down to one after Royal Arctic Line earlier this month lost a two-year contract to provide sea-lift services for the base, despite submitting an offer that, according to company officials, was half as expensive as the winning bid.
The loss of the sea-lift contract follows the selection in 2014 of an American-controlled firm to replace Greenland Contractors, a company that is part owned by the Self-Rule Authority, to provide maintenance services on the base.
-------------------------------------------

Greenland and Denmark signed two agreements in 2017 about cleaning up on former US military bases on Greenland.
One concerns cleaning up the old Grønnedal base, the other is a declaration stating that the Danish government will use 30 million Danish kroner over the next five years to clean up former American military bases on Greenland.
The first item on the list is the old Ikkatteq base, where more than 100,000 old oil barrels are laying about rusting in nature. There will also be a survey of Camp Century where researchers shall establish exactly what is hiding beneath the ice.
-------------------------------------------

Denmark is still sitting with the cleaning bills etc, not much friendly help being offered there!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

24. How many f*cking nukes have been dropped due to crashes or mistakes?

Up until today, I only knew about the bombs dropped because of the aerial refueling over Spain, and the one dropped on South Carolina. Then there's the one dropped in the waters off Georgia. This one has yet to be located.

Fortunately we still have more than 5,000 nuclear devices, so what's a half dozen or so? There's still enough to play with, or as Fat Donnie said, "If we have nuclear weapons, why don't we use them?"

[TomVilmer]

25. Here's A List Of Every Time Someone Lost Control Of Their Nukes...

... as far as we know. As a list and as an interactive map.

[underpants]

4. Nuuk Nuuk Nuuk seems an appropriate response to another Clustertrump stunt

[PSPS]

6. From nasty to a wonderful woman "after she phoned and said nice things about him."

[George II]

8. I'm sure he refused to speak to her, she's "not his type".

[Historic NY]

9. He doesn't seem to know that it isn't easy to get there for one thing...

and the population of this frozen turf is around 56k. If you are there you just can't hop in a car an go anywhere.

The US still has a presence with Thule AFB and National Guard contingent at frmr. Sondrestrom AFB which is a civilian airport.

[malthaussen]

11. As the ice recedes, it exposes land for oil drilling.

So you see, Global Warming is not bad for everybody.

-- Mal

[SunSeeker]

13. Sounds like the Danish PM played him like a fiddle. nt

[louis-t]

14. Such a great deal maker.

So much winning.

[Cryptoad]

15. Hell we need a place,,,

for our Pys-Ops teams to work and sleep, heh?

[dem in texas]

16. China has been cozing up with Greenland

I saw a news bit on the BBC a month or so back that China was building a modern air terminal in Greenland free of charge. Could this be the reason that Trumpy is all of a sudden interested in Greenland?

[TomVilmer]

20. There never came a Chinese airport

Due to heavy pressure from USA, the Danish government had to say no to a Chinese competitor for that lucrative Kalaallit airport upgrade. The Danish government then paid 100 million dollars for the job. Which then should be counted as defense spending.

[IcyPeas]

17. Nuuk has a golf Klub

Link to tweet

[Sapient Donkey]

21. If you wanna go down the rabbit hole with Trump being a Russian puppet

This could always be an attempt to drive a wedge between Denmark and those in Greenland pushing for more for more separation from Denmark. Like if Denmark handled it differently. Also, fomenting a more negative view of the US by the residents of Greenland so that they push to have the US base shutdown. Greenland kicking the US off its land and also telling Denmark to remove its bases and control would be a set of events that Russia would enjoy. As far as I can tell there is nothing to suggest that's the case or even something that would happen (mostly talking out of my ass), but it is something that crossed my mind. Although, I suspect in the end this is just Trump being a clueless moron more than anything.