President Donald J. Trump did not make billions of dollars as a real estate developer by being shy, retiring, or afraid to take risks. He has the ego-strength that it takes to prevail in negotiations. He understands the art of crafting win-win deals. He wrote a book about it.
President Trump has an uncommon talent for identifying the present and future problems the United States is facing. Unlike career politicians, when President Trump identifies a problem, he takes action to fix it. He doesn't waste time by creating a study group, forming a committee, or setting up a task force.
In America, everyday transactions are not usually done by bargaining. When we go to the store, we pick something that we need from the shelf, take it to the cashier, and pay for it. If we don't like the price, we go to a competitor who sells it for less. American tourists are often at a disadvantage when buying things in other countries. They pay too much because they are not used to bargaining. Sometimes, they enjoy the novelty of bargaining for goods with local vendors because it is so different from what we do here. Anyway, when President Trump negotiates with other countries in matters of foreign policy, we are not always able to understand what he is doing.
An example from everyday life might be helpful. You may have sold a home and thus become familiar with the process of buying and selling real estate; at least at the ground level (pardon the pun). If your real estate agent, an online resource, or an assessed valuation places a certain value on your home, it is in your best interest to ask for a higher price. That is because when a potential buyer becomes interested in your home they will probably offer less than your asking price. Then, it is customary for you to make a counter offer lowering your price a little bit. The buyer may agree to that price or make another counter offer. This process continues until both parties agree on a price that they are satisfied with. Or, the deal may fall through because an agreement cannot be reached.
President trump exaggerates his goals in international relations, so that he can still protect US interests if he agrees to take a little less. It isn't really difficult to see what he's doing.
A problem arises, however, when he pushes the envelope too far. By nature, he is a man who will test the boundaries. He will go for as much as he can get, unless he is compelled to reconsider. It often scares me - big time. On the other hand, President Trump disrupts the status quo, causes everyone to come to the table in a hurry, and brings about a solution to the problem. A different approach might result in the “establishment types” in our government and other governments talking it to death rather than acting. You have to hand it to President Trump … he gets results.
Greenland is self-governing but remains a part of the Danish Kingdom. The Danes maintain a small military force on the island. [1]
Is there a present threat to American national security, or is our newfound interest in Greenland purely proactive? The Chinese have been thwarted by the United States and Denmark from succeeding in attempts to get permission to build airports and buy an abandoned US military base in Greenland. [2] They have also shown an interest in establishing “research” outposts in other parts of the arctic. [3] For detailed information please visit:
The information available at the time of this writing indicates that there is no Russian military presence in Greenland. However, the US has long regarded Greenland as strategically important to our defense against a Russian air attack. Consequently, with Denmark’s and Greenland’s permission, we maintain a military base at Pituffik. [4] Greenland’s strategic location makes it ideal for building the Golden Dome air defense system that President Trump has proposed.
President Trump has pointed out that Russian and Chinese military vessels have been seen near Greenland. News reports indicate that his claims may have been exaggerated. [5] The president is privy to information that we do not have access to. However, the EU is an important trading partner for China. Consequently, sighting Chinese merchant vessels along trade routes to Europe is understandable.
It is widely known that Greenland has deposits of minerals that are used for military purposes. The United States does not. China does. Ukraine does. The US, Russia, and China covet these natural resources. People, groups, communities, and governments usually do things for more than one reason. Truthfully, it would compromise American national security to have Greenland’s mineral resources fall into the hands of our geopolitical opponents.
It makes common sense that it is easier … and that it is less threatening to world peace … for the United States to craft agreements with Greenland, Denmark, and NATO that will keep Russia and China out of Greenland, rather than to try to kick them out once they establish a presence there. The key is to do it legally, ethically, and with the greatest respect to the people of Greenland’s right to self-determination.
The United States of America is not Vladimir Putin’s Russia or Xi Jinping’s China. We do not take things by force; just because we can. It may motivate our friends to get off the dime, but we cannot agree with threatening to do something that is so contrary to our national character.
We are not among those who shout, “No Kings!”, in the street, or who falsely accuse President Trump of being a tyrant, a Hitler, or a fascist. That is a bunch of left-wing fear mongering. We must remember, however, that how others see us is reality for them. Therefore, we need to be careful, as a superpower, to avoid creating the impression that we would abuse our power.
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