Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News

Drudge Retort

Menu

Subscriptions

Drudge Retort RSS feed RSS Feed

Links

Recent Comments

Recent comments from all news stories on this site. Users must follow the site's moderation policy. Personal attacks, profanity, abusive conduct and expressions of prejudice are not allowed. If you want to retrieve a comment of yours that was recently deleted, visit your user page and click the Moderation link.

Trump's Greenland deal, explained
www.politico.eu

... Eight months after Donald Trump almost destroyed NATO by threatening to annex Greenland " by force, if necessary " he signed what he called a "fantastic" new deal that would give the U.S. all the control and military access it needs over the Danish territory.

European allies were so alarmed by Trump's apparent determination to take the territory at the start of the year -- and his threat of 25% tariffs on anyone who got in his way -- that they began talking about a future for the West without America. In many ways, the transatlantic relationship has not been the same since.

Tuesday's agreement on security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, signed at the United Nations by Trump and the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark, ends the dispute. But what exactly is in the deal? Who will pay for it? And who are the winners and losers from months of high-stakes talks?

What exactly is the deal?

This new agreement, which still needs ratification by Danish and Greenlandic lawmakers, is not, in fact, completely new. Instead, it sets out to "amend and supplement" an earlier deal between the U.S. and Denmark dating back to 1951. Many experts have been saying for months that this earlier agreement gave Trump most of what he said he wanted in terms of more or less unfettered freedom to set up military bases and police the region's security.

One key difference this time is that Greenland itself is a signatory. ...

Trump promised to build two "very major" bases in Greenland. According to the text released by the Danish government, the two touted new American bases aren't entirely new either, at least in terms of their locations. ...

Trump has often spoken about Chinese and Russian military activities around Greenland, claiming earlier this year that, "if you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers. There are Chinese destroyers ... there are Russian submarines all over the place. We're not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland, and that's what they're going to do if we don't."

NATO officials have quietly pushed back against those claims, with one diplomat saying "we're not seeing any Chinese activity" around Greenland, while Russian movements in the High North haven't changed significantly and there's little, if any, Russian presence near Greenland. ...

Instead, the deal explicitly reaffirms Danish sovereignty and Greenland's right to self-determination -- including choosing independence from Denmark, potentially. For what it's worth, the deal also explicitly recognizes the need to protect the "pristine" environment of the territory and Greenlanders' cultural, social and economic rights.


"Reading it, one wonders why so much fuss for so little, when this could have been done from the start," said Grgoire Roos, program director for Europe at the Chatham House think tank in London. "I also think it's well played from Denmark -- clean and diplomatic. Some might call it the European touch."

Speaking before the deal was published, the Atlantic Council's Daniel Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland, said the deal gave Washington something it could call a win, and "allowed the U.S. to walk back from its damaging and pointless threats of aggression."
...



Main terms of the Greenland agreement signed by the United States, Denmark and Greenland,

The agreement has no expiration date and can only be amended by mutual consent.

The United States may modernize and expand Pituffik Space Base.

The United States may establish additional defense areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.

Additional US defense areas may be established later, subject to consultation and mutual agreement.

Requests for unmanned US military installations outside established defense areas are to receive accelerated governmental review.

US military forces, vehicles, aircraft and public vessels receive broad rights of access and movement between defense areas throughout Greenland.

US military aircraft may fly over and land anywhere in Greenland, subject to the terms of the agreement.

US public vessels receive undersea access and movement within Greenland's territorial waters, subject to mutually agreed restrictions.

The agreement specifically recognizes US military access needed for defense of Greenland, NATO territory and North America, including establishment of a Golden Dome defense system.

Non-NATO countries may not establish military installations or maintain a persistent military presence in Greenland unless the parties agree otherwise.

Certain investments from countries outside NATO, NATO partner nations or the European Union can be restricted in sensitive areas, including critical infrastructure and natural-resource extraction, when national security or public order is at risk.

The United States may raise security concerns about construction or changes in land use near US defense areas. The parties then jointly determine what steps should be taken.

The United States, Denmark and Greenland will cooperate to counter espionage in Greenland.

Denmark commits to strengthening its Arctic defense capabilities, including land, sea, air, space and surveillance capabilities and cooperation with NATO allies.

US contracts involving construction, maintenance and servicing of Greenland defense areas are to go to Greenlandic businesses to the maximum extent possible, when they have the capability to perform the work.

Greenlandic society, including hunting, fishing, cultural activities and traditional ways of life, is to be respected when US military access rights are exercised.

If Greenland eventually becomes independent, Denmark and Greenland are to ensure that an independent Greenland remains in NATO and assumes the rights and obligations contained in the defense agreement.

The agreement takes effect after the required parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland are completed and the United States receives formal diplomatic notification.

what exactly is the fraud one can commit?

Its not the beneficiaries, they trying to go after providers. These flyby night providers are signing up people, and then billing the government.
www.ncoa.org

The "wealthiest nation on earth" cannot provide its citizens with healthcare or education or care for its elderly.

Canada is killing its elderly in fact more elderly have been euthanized than gun murders in the US.
www.junonews.com

www.kake.com

the chickens coming home to roost (pardon the pun)

and the largest supporters of our president in that region are screaming bloody murder.......LOL

Drudge Retort

Home | Breaking News | Comments | User Blogs | Stats | Back Page | RSS Feed | RSS Spec | DMCA Compliance | Privacy