Can someone explain to me what Trump and the US Government or companies would be able to do if they "had Greenland" that they can't do right now?
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Can someone explain to me what Trump and the US Government or companies would be able to do if they "had Greenland" that they can't do right now?
Like, what are we talking about? It's going to be cold Puerto Rico? I'd say "well they could set up a military base" ... but we have that already?
Is this about mineral or drilling rights or something?
It's of course offensive nonsense, but I don't even get the point. And no one asks them.
What do you get?
@futurebird the Greenlanders have shitloads of resources. There is strong, almost universal opposition to extraction, due to the environmental costs. These costs are amplified by the weather conditions.
There is one (1) mine operational which extracts rare earth minerals. This mining corp refused a US buyout, and sold some minerals to a Chinese company, despite significant US diplomatic pressures.
The US doesn't want to have to compete for these resources, and they have a compliant idiot in the White House.
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Can someone explain to me what Trump and the US Government or companies would be able to do if they "had Greenland" that they can't do right now?
Like, what are we talking about? It's going to be cold Puerto Rico? I'd say "well they could set up a military base" ... but we have that already?
Is this about mineral or drilling rights or something?
It's of course offensive nonsense, but I don't even get the point. And no one asks them.
What do you get?
@futurebird They keep claiming it's about defence, but as pointed out by a former Danish minister on the radio the other day, they already have the right to station as many troops there as they want.
It's almost certainly about exploiting natural resources and / or Trump wanting to feel powerful. Most things he does seem to be about boosting his ego.
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Everyone wants to be a little big man instead of actually doing amazing big things. The lack of imagination depresses me.
@futurebird @EugestShirley in many respects Russia’s wrecked and he doesn’t know or doesn’t want to know how to fix it. The geopolitical game continues; what is Russia to do?
Trump continues because Russia and China want him there, for very different reasons.
It _is_ depressing isn’t it. There’s so much to do.
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There is a theory that this move is designed to break up NATO.
I thought that was a little far fetched at first, NATO is really good for the US, it's like the birthday boy throwing a tantrum.
But some conservatives have a deep seated fear of "world government." So maybe that's it? Basically these are the guys who find it galling that there are notions like "international law" or "human rights" however unevenly applied.
@futurebird
Anyone in US government who is a Russian agent would feel very successful if they disrupted NATO. -
There is a theory that this move is designed to break up NATO.
I thought that was a little far fetched at first, NATO is really good for the US, it's like the birthday boy throwing a tantrum.
But some conservatives have a deep seated fear of "world government." So maybe that's it? Basically these are the guys who find it galling that there are notions like "international law" or "human rights" however unevenly applied.
@futurebird I guess it's a bit of everything. Little Donni wants to be known as Donald the conqueror. Greenland has resources. Military presence even after the US breaks up with NATO. And also the end of NATO.
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There is a theory that this move is designed to break up NATO.
I thought that was a little far fetched at first, NATO is really good for the US, it's like the birthday boy throwing a tantrum.
But some conservatives have a deep seated fear of "world government." So maybe that's it? Basically these are the guys who find it galling that there are notions like "international law" or "human rights" however unevenly applied.
@futurebird as if we didn’t create this order and use it to great effect for self-serving ends, and then also oppose or abstain from some of the greatest things the order tried to do:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_treaties_unsigned_or_unratified_by_the_United_StatesThere doesn’t seem to be a dedicated page to just US vetoes on the UN Security Council, but a close reading of the list of all vetoes is probably depressing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vetoed_United_Nations_Security_Council_resolutions -
@futurebird the Greenlanders have shitloads of resources. There is strong, almost universal opposition to extraction, due to the environmental costs. These costs are amplified by the weather conditions.
There is one (1) mine operational which extracts rare earth minerals. This mining corp refused a US buyout, and sold some minerals to a Chinese company, despite significant US diplomatic pressures.
The US doesn't want to have to compete for these resources, and they have a compliant idiot in the White House.
I guess it's easy to forget that many people do not believe that "the people who live in a place should govern and control that place together"
Greenland should be governed and controlled by Greenlanders. They understand it best, they are impacted the most.
Of course by having a big army or a lot of money and a government you control someone could contraindicate this principle.
But I thought it was a "value" more people shared?
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I guess it's easy to forget that many people do not believe that "the people who live in a place should govern and control that place together"
Greenland should be governed and controlled by Greenlanders. They understand it best, they are impacted the most.
Of course by having a big army or a lot of money and a government you control someone could contraindicate this principle.
But I thought it was a "value" more people shared?
The alternative to this value is that we are all ruled by warlords. Whoever has the most guns and thugs and shows up first gets to be in charge.
Obviously this is how it often works even as people try to entertain such fanciful notions as every human having a right to exist and have influence over the government of the place where they live.
Depressing to see people going along with dismantling it as if they have an army ... when they don't.
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@futurebird sounds about right. Impression I'm getting here and there is no one really asked for any of this outside the pres himself and his cronies looking to play modern day Alexander.
@naturepoker @futurebird same reason he wanted to change the name of the gulf of Mexico
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I guess it's easy to forget that many people do not believe that "the people who live in a place should govern and control that place together"
Greenland should be governed and controlled by Greenlanders. They understand it best, they are impacted the most.
Of course by having a big army or a lot of money and a government you control someone could contraindicate this principle.
But I thought it was a "value" more people shared?
@futurebird not the Republican Party of the US, as presently constituted. Only one set of people get to decide anything, for everyone, and it's them.
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There is a theory that this move is designed to break up NATO.
I thought that was a little far fetched at first, NATO is really good for the US, it's like the birthday boy throwing a tantrum.
But some conservatives have a deep seated fear of "world government." So maybe that's it? Basically these are the guys who find it galling that there are notions like "international law" or "human rights" however unevenly applied.
@futurebird breaking up NATO makes sense when you think that the EU will never be able to defend itself on its own - or if you think that European NATO countries get an unfair economic advantage by not spending so muchon their military (but get social security for that)
then you can put even more diplomatic pressure on them, to get security guarantees - but we know that's not how it works - IMO people at the helm have started to believe their own propaganda
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@futurebird I've certainly seen claims that the natural resources are the significant thing (e.g. https://theconversation.com/greenland-is-rich-in-natural-resources-a-geologist-explains-why-273022), though I doubt it's quite so simple as having just one reason
@jamey @futurebird it could well be all of the above reasons, and more. Perhaps ICE want to send deportees there in the end too, as free labor would make mining more “economically viable”.
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Can someone explain to me what Trump and the US Government or companies would be able to do if they "had Greenland" that they can't do right now?
Like, what are we talking about? It's going to be cold Puerto Rico? I'd say "well they could set up a military base" ... but we have that already?
Is this about mineral or drilling rights or something?
It's of course offensive nonsense, but I don't even get the point. And no one asks them.
What do you get?
Show on maps how they have made the USA "bigger".
