US attack on Venezuela raises fears of future Greenland takeover

[impossiblefork]

Supposing that it's done, one of the things I wander about is whether the EU and the Danes would understand that it's war and act accordingly-- i.e. would the ships stop, would the transatlantic flights stop, would US firms in Europe get told that they're now independent EU subsidiaries unconnected with their parent companies, would Americans in the EU be interned, etc.-- i.e would people react in the normal way that one does when one is at war.

Obviously they'd have to, but I'm curious about whether they'd do it on the first day, or whether they'd sort of wonder around half-understanding "is this war?"

I've gotten an impression from the Danes through this whole affair that they're not getting it and I wonder how little people understand in general, whether war is so foreign to them that they can't react appropriately.

[FreezerburnV]

Legitimately: Could they actually do this? The EU still has so many dependencies on tech provided by the US that could be turned off pretty much immediately which would shut the country down. How are they supposed to fight back if their government stops because Microsoft shuts down their Azure accounts, Outlook, Teams, etc.?

[tim333]

My guess is the Danes and EU would complain but not go to war and hope the thing gets reversed when the current president leaves office.

[rwmj]

Important note that Greenland is not in the EU (although Denmark is), so likely the EU would at first think this is not their concern. (I think this would be a wrong thing to think, but that's how it would be diffused at first.)

[raffael_de]

Not necessarily. Such an event would be a geopolitical reenactment of the Danish folk tale "The Emperor's New Clothes". Turns out the emperor isn't just naked he's still living in his parent's basement. And the emperor here is Europe and the parents are the US. Why would I as a German support a war over an island that has not just been criminally neglected by a supposed alley (Denmark), it is even politically and economically irrelevant (as of now). And not just that ... "we" have been begging the US to keep protecting us and for them Greenland is in that respect very much serving a purpose in line with that very military support. Europe is naked as it stands. I don't like it. But that's just how it is.

[consumer451]

POTUS's deputy chief of staff, 21hrs ago:

> SOON

https://x.com/KatieMiller/status/2007541679293944266#m

https://xcancel.com/KatieMiller/status/2007541679293944266#m

[mindcrash]

Which would become a very interesting situation from a geopolitical POV.

Because Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, i.e. a NATO country.

Which means Denmark could declare war AND invoke NATO Article 5 against the United States:

"The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security."

https://www.nato.int/en/about-us/official-texts-and-resource...

Which means not only Denmark, but also Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and the United Kingdom will immediately be in a state of war with a founding member of NATO - namely the United States. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_states_of_NATO)

[Nux]

My gut feeling is that it won't happen.

It will antagonise not only Denmark, but the whole of Europe - govs & people - to a point where USA might find it's all alone in the world.

That'll be the beginning of the end for the empire.

[verzali]

The beginning is already here, I think. At least things are very much not the same as they were a year ago.

[embedding-shape]

Up until yesterday most of us felt the same about "Going into Venezuela and kidnap the president of a sovereign nation" but here we are. Sure, it was also not out of nowhere, but I don't think anyone thought Trump needed such an abrasive distraction from the internal conflicts in the nation.

> to a point where USA might find it's all alone in the world.

I think the US might be misleading itself if it doesn't realize that it already is. We still care for the people, but the government of the US has truly shown that it cannot be an ally today, and the rest of the world already realize this, seems the US is the last to understand it.

[gspr]

But on the other hand, Trump's treatment of Europe so far – especially in his second term – would be entirely shocking to the sensibilities of any westerner anno 2015. I'm not so sure the US isn't already steaming willingly towards lonesomeness and antagonizing all of its former friends.

[SanjayMehta]

Trump has nothing to lose. He's almost 80, doesn't care for Europe or NATO, and is clearly desperate to be remembered for something significant.

Kidnapping Maduro doesn't really ensure his name in the history books. But if he annexes Greenland and/or Canada, then he's the next Jefferson or Jackson.

He might even rename Greenland+Canada to Trumpland.

[thrance]

You're thinking about it from a sane POV, but the people at the helm are insane. The only question is: would invading Greenland please Trump, yes or no?

[watwut]

Except that USA is already antagonizing Europe and literally talks about splitting it up, so that they can bully individual nations better.

[JohnFen]

Except that our transformation into "the bad guys" is already complete. We no longer have the trust or respect of most of the world. The "end of the empire" is already well under way.

[anthk]

It wont happen unless you want the US bases in Europe kicked out fast and every terror atempt done by the US answered by a massive company expulsion from Europe starting from Mastercard and Visa and everyone forced to migrate to local banks.

If you want a 1929 on steroids, do that.

[hdgvhicv]

Will be interesting to see if Europe could actually replace things quickly

Mobile phones (android could be forked I guess, Apple would be out).

Payment processing - shouldn’t be a problem if the U.K. is on side, one industry which isn’t been completely bought by America

I suspect China will jump at the chance to assist and Europe will be stupid enough to take it.

[ExoticPearTree]

The US did appoint a representative for Greenland a few weeks ago. It is not inconceiveable that at some point in the future they will let Denmark know that Greeland is a US territory and that’s that.

And realistically, if this happens, in the next 3 years there is nothing anyone can do anything about it.

We live in interesting times.

[hdgvhicv]

Post January it could be yet another impeachment, this time it might stick, especially if the project 25 people think trumps causing more harm than Vance.

[piva00]

> Katie Miller, the former administration official-turned-podcaster and wife of deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted an image on her X account on Saturday showing a map of Greenland colored by the American flag with a one-word caption: “SOON.” [0]

Great, the USA collectively decided to elect not only stupid arrogants, it selected the violent ones.

What's the goalpost now to call this administration fascist?

[0] https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/03/trump-venezela-mexi...

[gcanyon]

It's a YOLO presidency, so sure, why not? Time and time again we've cycled:

   1. That's outrageous
   2. He's joking
   3. But what if he's not joking?
   4. We're doing it

Sometimes it stops at 2, but Trump is definitely like that awkward teenage boy who says to the girl he secretly likes, "What if we just, like, made out? That would be crazy, right?"

[password54321]

Nothing new to anyone who follows what goes on in the rest of the world. The West (mostly Europe) just sat in comfort until Putin and now Trump and they are still adjusting to the fact that the world is actually very hostile.

[ThePowerOfFuet]

That cycle is also referred to as "shifting the Overton window".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

[Simulacra]

I don't see this is happening, it's a tremendous death from removing a dictator who's authority was legitimate, to invading Greenland. I just don't see that and I think this is more click bait and rage bait. I don't agree with how it was done, but I'm glad to see maduro gone, but it's opened a very, very, very dangerous door.....

[tordrt]

How is this click bait and rage bait? I think the article is quite reasonably telling the events leading up to and the response from Denmark.

The president says Greenland needs to be a part of the US, and he wont rule out using military force.

The wife of one of his cabinet members tweets a picture where Greenland belongs to the US and captions it "SOON".

How is Denmark supposed the respond when the president is actively threatening them?

You have been acclimated to having a president who says crazy things. This is not normal.

I think almost nobody sees it actually happening, but just the fact that he is saying these things is insane.

[wozer]

The Danish government takes the threat seriously:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g0zg974v1o

[Jordan-117]

*illegitimate

[wltr]

Flagged? As in flagged we’re the US company, obviously Republican, obviously trump supporting? Or just ‘meh, sorry, more comments then the likes, cannot do anything’?

[jacquesm]

You won't be reading about the end of the world on HN either, it will be flagged as off topic. HN is a lot of good things but there are also some very annoying sharp edges and abuse of flagging privileges is definitely one of those. But you take the good with the bad.

[umren]

Even if they take it, what would EU do? Clearly attack on Venezuela is against international law, but the EU/UK is mostly silent about it

so is there a thing like international law that really exists? or you only apply it when it benefits you?

[watwut]

Of course flagged.

[lostmsu]

Because it is baseless fearmongering. US is not going to invade Greenland or Canada. For these two the ambition is clearly in diplomacy/marketing only.

[jokoon]

hum

wouldn't the dutch use force to fight the US if the US ever attempted that?

that could turn the EU into an enemy of the US

[embedding-shape]

> that could turn the EU into an enemy of the US

The EU is already an enemy in the eyes of the US, even though it isn't reciprocated.

Not sure what would happen if the US attacked Greenland, attacking a close ally you have literal agreements about protecting each other kind of forces NATO into new territory. My hunch is that the NATO would be dissolved, and everyone would have to team up against the aggressor.

[valevk]

In the latest national security strategy the US defined the EU as an enemy. Also, when you read the chats from that Signal group where a reporter was accidentally added, you can see the resentment those people feel towards the EU.

[BSDobelix]

>wouldn't the dutch use force

I don't know about the dutch, but the danes are probably a bit pissed, however Greenland wants to be independent from Denmark...so there's that:

https://theworld.org/stories/2025/09/15/greenlanders-largely...

[jacquesm]

I wasn't aware Greenland was part of the Netherlands.

[Manfred]

*Danish

[wolvoleo]

Holland is a stupid lap dog of the US. They didn't even want to issue a statement condemning the Venezuela operation. It's the most strongly neoliberal country left in the EU since the British left. Also always falling over themselves to apologise for Israeli war crimes. This is why Rutte became SG of NATO, his neoliberal oligarch party was always an American lapdog.

I don't expect any kind of action from them about Greenland. Denmark maybe, they're also pretty right-wing but it affects them directly. And Spain which have much less of an issue giving a middle finger to Trump.

[deepfriedchokes]

The wife of a presidential aide saying something is not worthy news.

[tordrt]

Well its not just her, its also the president. Maybe read the article next time.

[tsoukase]

True exaggeration. The US had the chance to take Norway before they become millionaires from fishermen. Greenland is a possible target but in the (very) far future. Venezuela is the current easy target which will suffer immensely from the Oil-curse syndrome.

[mkbkn]

Does Greenland have vast reserves of oil?