Let’s start with this, from President Trump:
“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America and all NATO nations.”
Is this true? Is a viable deal on the table?
Given Donald Trump’s stratospheric ego, and his insufferable self-promotion, we can’t be sure.
But also given Donald Trump’s stunning success in brokering peace deals (some longer lasting than others) over the past year, including Rwanda and Republic of Congo, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Thailand and Cambodia, etc., it is a serious possibility.
IF it is true? What a huge win for the United States. Any acceptable agreement would, at the very least, give us dominion over Greenland without actually taking possession of the island, thus control over its proximity to the shipping routes that make it such an important component of our national security. And it leaves both leaves NATO intact and puts Russia and China out in the cold.
For those very obviously positive reasons, let’s hope the deal is real.
Oh, one other thing: in reading about this, I noticed that several leftward sites are resurrecting the same ludicrous attack on Trump they tried last year that didn’t go anywhere: they are sneering out the acronyn “TACO” – which is supposed to mean “Trump Always Chickens Out” – on the grounds that he demanded even more than this kind of a deal would give him, but didn’t get it.
For the Trump-hating geniuses trying to re-invoke this childishness, let me introduce a word to them; I’ll even spell it out: negotionation. N E G O T I A T I O N.
See, a negotiation is where you start out asking for more than what you would be satisfied with, and try to end with less than what you asked for (a win for the other side) but what you actually wanted in the first place (a win for you). That way, both sides get something and both sides are happy. Win win.
I guess if you hate Trump enough, though, that just doesn’t count.
