Experts Warn NATO Could Be at Risk if U.S. Attacks Greenland
International security experts and Western leaders have raised alarm over repeated comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that the United States should assert control over Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and a member of the NATO alliance, warning that any military move against the island could seriously undermine the Western military bloc.
Trump’s remarks — including a renewed assertion that Greenland is “essential” for U.S. national security and would make NATO “far more effective” under American control — have triggered diplomatic resistance from Denmark, Greenlandic leaders, and NATO allies in Europe.
The Danish government has repeatedly emphasized that Greenland’s future is a sovereign decision for Denmark and the territory itself, and that any attempt to seize the island by force would violate international law and NATO’s core principles of collective defence.
Experts argue that a U.S. invasion of Greenland — even if hypothetical — would represent a historic rupture within NATO, an alliance predicated on mutual defense among member states rather than aggression by one against another. Former U.S. policymakers and analysts note that no NATO member has ever engaged in military conflict with a fellow member.
Poland’s foreign minister and other European officials have urged the U.S. Congress to clarify Washington’s position, warning that territorial claims against a NATO ally could erode trust among allies and weaken transatlantic security cooperation.
Analysts also note that Trump’s rhetoric has complicated NATO’s strategic cohesion at a moment when the alliance is focused on supporting Ukraine and managing tensions with global competitors like Russia and China. Some commentators have described the situation as the most serious test of NATO unity since the Cold War.
While Washington insists that there is no current plan for military action, the controversy has sparked broad debate about the future of the alliance and the risks of unilateral moves that could destabilize decades of diplomatic and military cooperation.
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