Trump’s Greenland threats to allies are without parallel

U.S. President Donald Trump’s seemingly coercive threat to force his Western allies not to oppose the annexation of Greenland or further damage their trade with the United States is both without parallel and without precedent.

We’ve received some unusual and unexpected economic threats from President Trump this past year, but it’s safe to say that this one surpasses them all and brings us into territory that is both surreal and extremely dangerous.

Taken at face value, this is a form of economic warfare waged by the White House on its closest allies.

This is because it targets allies incredibly quickly and for a purpose that could essentially tear NATO and the Western alliance apart.

This will surely stun the authorities of these countries. In fact, it’s so strange that they may be more confused than angry.

No one in the world would assume that such a threat based on seizing your ally’s territory would actually materialize. Does Trump really have the support in the United States, in Congress, and even in his own administration to do this?

Is this the biggest TACO (Trump Will Chicken Out) of all time, as some trade officials must assume? These may come and go, and economically these countries have so far recovered from the damage.

Consider Canada. It saw its trade with the United States decline. But prime minister Mark Carney’s strategy increased Canada’s trade with the rest of the world by 14%; This is, surprisingly, more than enough to offset the lost trade with the US.

Carney was in China this week, seeking to push for a “new world order” and pursue more trade with China, not the distance some U.S. administration officials have sought.

Just three months ago, the Trump administration was trying to convince the rest of the world that it was “China versus the world.”

Carney lays out this approach, which is perhaps a noteworthy background context for the timing of today’s intervention.

However, if we take Trump’s latest threats seriously, we can say that they are extremely disturbing.

Not because of the 10 percent tariff, but because of the logic: taking territory from an ally and publicly coercing your allies. How would the world react if China or Russia had sent such a threat to some of their allies?

The basis of the threat is clearly alarming.

Many in capitals around the world will read Trump’s social media announcement and question the workings of America’s decision-making.

President Trump is coming to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday to meet with the leaders of allied countries whose economies he threatens.

Most of the world hopes that this unique threat will somehow disappear by then.