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Arctic Chill: Denmark summons US envoy Over US ‘Influence’ Report
The Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, did something you don’t do to your most powerful ally unless you’re serious. He summoned the US ambassador for a talk. The reason? A story in the Danish newspaper Berlingske that landed like a grenade. The paper laid out a series of quiet American maneuvers in Greenland—things like grants for schools and cultural programs, all flowing directly from the U.S. consulate. On the surface, it sounds harmless enough. The problem is that, officially, all of Greenland’s foreign dealings are supposed to go through Copenhagen. To the Danes, this felt like Washington was trying to quietly build its own separate relationship with Greenland, cutting them out of the loop entirely. Rasmussen didn’t sugarcoat it, calling the whole business “completely unacceptable.” So, why all the fuss over a few grants? Because this isn’t about education. It’s about the future of the Arctic. Greenland is ground zero in a new great game between the U.S., Russia, and China. It’s packed with resources and sits in the most strategic spot on the top of the world. Washington is desperate to keep its rivals out, and it seems they decided a direct approach was the best way to win friends and influence people on the island. This whole mess can’t help but bring up the ghost of Donald Trump’s bizarre offer to just buy Greenland a few years back. Everyone laughed then, but nobody is laughing now. It’s clear that Washington’s interest in the island is intense and not going away. The U.S. embassy put out a bland statement about their “transparent work” in the region, but that’s not going to cut it. The Danes feel like a line was crossed. They’ve put their foot down and are now demanding to know exactly what their closest ally has been up to in their own backyard. It’s going to be a very uncomfortable conversation.