President-elect Donald Trump has in recent years talked about ‘buying’ Greenland. Until recently his comments attracted little attention but recently he shocked the world by threatening the use of economic coercion or military force to fulfil his wish. Male gorillas in the forests of west Africa engage in chest-beating to see off their rivals but Nato, to which the Kingdom of Denmark has belonged since its foundation in 1949, is meant to be a zoo park in which all the wardens sign up for a working partnership. What is behind this public breach in diplomatic etiquette?
Americans can point to earlier times when they expanded their territory by purchase, not to mention conquest. The classic instance of the financial method was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 when France sold off lands for a mere $15 million that at the stroke of a pen doubled the size of the United States. Napoleon at the time had his hands full in fighting off the British and benefited from the stability that the American deal secured.
Trump has never aimed at geopolitical coherence
The same was true in 1867 with Russia’s sell-off of Alaska to the US for $7 million.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in