{"id":45167,"date":"2026-01-20T18:44:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=45167"},"modified":"2026-01-20T18:44:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:44:40","slug":"strategic-preemption-or-imperial-overreach-the-cases-of-venezuela-and-greenland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/strategic-preemption-or-imperial-overreach-the-cases-of-venezuela-and-greenland\/","title":{"rendered":"Strategic Preemption or Imperial Overreach? The Cases of Venezuela and Greenland"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Anil Madan<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In 2019, more than six years ago, Donald Trump was asked about his interest in acquiring Greenland. He said: \u201cDenmark essentially owns it. We\u2019re very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So, the concept came up and I said, \u2018Certainly I\u2019d be.\u2019 Strategically it\u2019s interesting and we\u2019d be interested but we\u2019ll talk to them a little bit. It\u2019s not number one on the burner I can tell you that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He went on to say: \u201cWell a lot of things can be done. Essentially, it\u2019s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Denmark is a member of NATO; ergo, so is Greenland. In fact, the US operates its missile warning and space surveillance commands from Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) in Greenland.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span>\u00a0US-Venezuela. Pic – SpecialEurasia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

At that time, back in 2019, as if formulating a rationale for relieving Denmark of a burden, Trump claimed that ownership of Greenland was \u201churting Denmark very badly because they\u2019re losing almost $700m a year carrying it. So, they carry it at a great loss and strategically for the United States it would be very nice and we\u2019re a big ally of Denmark, we protect Denmark and we help Denmark and we will.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Five years later, in December 2024, just a month before his swearing-in to a second presidential term, designs on acquiring Greenland resurfaced as a national security issue. In a post on his social media platform, he wrote \u201cfor purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Greenland\u2019s leadership responded that the semiautonomous territory is \u201cnot for sale.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Almost one year into Trump\u2019s second term as President, the mere real estate deal has become a national security obsession and he said: \u201cWe have to have it\u201d for \u201cnational protection,\u201d and on Jan. 9 this year, he threatened that if America cannot acquire Greenland \u201cthe easy way\u201d then it would get it the \u201chard way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Denmark and Greenland sent their foreign ministers for a high-level meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Vice President Vance also attended. The result was a \u201cfrank and constructive\u201d exchange. That is diplomatic-speak for an agreement to disagree. Indeed, Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Loekke Rasmussen said after the meeting that the US and Denmark still have “still have a fundamental disagreement, but we also agree to disagree.”\u00a0 Nothing has been resolved; while the US maintains its interest in acquiring Greenland, both Denmark and Greenland remain opposed.<\/span><\/p>\n

The meeting took place against the backdrop of Trump\u2019s statement that \u201cWe are going to do something in Greenland, whether they like it or not, because if we don\u2019t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland, and we\u2019re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbour.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/strong>he Monroe Doctrine<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Following the US action in Venezuela when its Maduro was captured and Trump declared that the US was \u201cin charge\u201d of Venezuela and would be running it, in a follow-up meeting with American business executives, he offered a similar rationale: \u201cIf we didn\u2019t do this, China would have been there, and Russia would have been there. Maybe they both would have been there together.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Trump administration has also justified its action against Venezuela as a law enforcement operation against Maduro for narcotics trafficking, as well as recoupment of oil assets seized from American companies by nationalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the national security concerns in words reminiscent of the Monroe Doctrine: \u201cWe\u2019re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors and rivals of the United States.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

On January 3, 2026, Trump touted the doctrine as a continuation of America\u2019s foreign policy. Ousting Maduro was justified also because Venezuela was “hosting foreign adversaries” and “acquiring offensive weapons.”<\/span><\/p>\n

It has also been reported that Trump administration officials have told the Venezuelans that first, the country must kick out China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba and sever economic ties. Second, Venezuela must agree to partner exclusively with the US on oil production and favour America when selling heavy crude oil. Here, we see elements of both economic interest and national security concern.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the economic side of the ledger, it has also been reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated to leaders in Congress that the US has leverage because Venezuela is on the verge of financial insolvency unless it can sell oil already in tankers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a recent article, I adverted to the recently published National Security Strategy document. The comments on European security and its importance to the US are telling:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOver the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, certain NATO members will become majority non-European. As such, it is an open question whether they will view their place in the world, or their alliance with the United States, in the same way as those who signed the NATO charter…\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYet Europe remains strategically and culturally vital to the United States. Transatlantic trade remains one of the pillars of the global economy and of American prosperity. European sectors from manufacturing to technology to energy, remain among the world\u2019s most robust. Europe is home to cutting-edge scientific research and world-leading cultural institutions. Not only can we not afford to write Europe off — doing so would be self-defeating for what this strategy aims to achieve.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Our goal \u201cshould be to help Europe correct its current trajectory. We will need a strong Europe to help us successfully compete, and to work in concert with us to prevent any adversary from dominating Europe.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As applied to Greenland, perhaps there is the suggestion that if the island breaks away from Denmark, its allegiance to NATO could be in question. Whether such concerns are valid or not, perhaps there is a strategic element involved in ensuring that the separation of Greenland from Denmark does not involve a separation from US strategic interests. Indeed, if one contemplated that there could be a fracturing of the \u201calliance with the United States\u201d of certain European countries, Greenland might well be of even more defensive importance to the US. This, of course does not detract from the proposition that Greenland is critical to the control of shipping lanes as ice melt in the Arctic makes commercial shipping there a viable prospect in the not-too-distant future.<\/span><\/p>\n

E<\/strong>nd of the NATO military alliance<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Denmark\u2019s foreign minister Loekke Rasmussen said that the security situation in the Arctic has indeed changed, and that Denmark is eager to work with the US on security improvements. On the other hand, NATO already provides the necessary framework for an agreement, and acquisition of Greenland by the US is “absolutely not necessary” to that end.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vivian Motzfeldt, Greenland’s minister of foreign affairs, acknowledged the importance of strengthening ties with the US, and added: “but that doesn’t mean that we want to be owned by the United States.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s response was that although he had not been briefed on the meeting: “We need Greenland for national security, so we’re going to see what happens,” Mr Trump said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump has also said that acquiring Greenland “is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building” referring to the missile defense system, and that “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it.” He added: “NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES… Anything less than that is unacceptable.” He went on: “I’d love to make a deal with them. It’s easier. But one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that an American military move to seize control of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance. It is not clear whether this is meant as a declaration that Denmark would withdraw from NATO. Certainly, the argument that Article 5 of NATO charter would be invoked does not hold water since the charter does not contemplate that a NATO member would attack another NATO member.<\/span><\/p>\n

And one could argue that Greenland is critical for rare earth minerals that are now all but controlled by China.<\/span><\/p>\n

It may well be that the US can get all the access to Greenland that it desires by agreement and a merger of the island with the US is not needed. On the other hand, governments can terminate agreements and who knows what the relative strength of the US and China will be fifty years hence.<\/span><\/p>\n

One can frame the intervention in Venezuela as a strategic move to secure America\u2019s strategic interest in stabilizing the world\u2019s oil supplies and limiting Chinese, Russian, and Iranian influence in Latin America. And one can view the Greenland issue in purely strategic terms but its economic implications for worldwide commerce as shipping across the Arctic lanes grows are unmistakable.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, are these moves merely economic imperialism, or strategic security calculations? At this point, we have to say that both elements are at work. Whether these turn out to be good business deals remains to be seen. In terms of national security, the challenges of a surging China, coupled with aggression from Russia and Iran, are unpredictable.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheerz\u2026
\nBwana<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 16 January 2026<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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