A German political scientist on Monday denounced the United States' "outrageous" intentions to take over control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, as a move of "great disrespect" which seriously undermines the collective security alliance of NATO.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Washington must "own" Greenland and on Sunday renewed threats to seize the vast, mineral-rich Arctic island "one way or the other", further raising concern among NATO member Denmark and other European allies.
Ulrich Bruckner, a professor of European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin, said that the imperialistic notions being demonstrated by the Trump administration and their claims over the island has shocked NATO partners and left European allies without a ready strategic response.
"Everyone is furious about such a claim of a NATO partner. We have been within a security alliance and believed in collective security is real. But having an enemy within the system, someone who could come out with an imperialist idea to steal a chunk of the Kingdom of Denmark is so outrageous that there was nothing like a strategy in the drawers that could just be used for a case like this," he said.
Bruckner also argues that this latest example of Trump's "America First" policy is a further affront to long-standing U.S. allies by treating all other nations -- both partners and adversaries -- as subordinate, a stance that has been clear since Trump returned to the White House last year.
"It also shows that there is a great disrespect for the allies and that 'making America great again' implies that everyone else has no interest or is treated as a condition taker. This doesn't distinguish between potential enemies and close partners. This became very clear since February last year, and this is something that is a given in an otherwise very uncertain situation," he said.
While Trump has long expressed his desire to acquire Greenland, alarm has been raised following the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela earlier this month, which saw President Nicolas Maduro abducted in a startling overnight raid and Trump subsequently pledging to "run" the country, with a clear focus on obtaining the South American nation's vast oil reserves.
Bruckner also pointed to the U.S. seizure of an empty oil tanker linked with Venezuela and registered as a Russian vessel in the North Atlantic, a move which has further heightened alarm over Trump's interest in Greenland.
"Generally speaking, it's hard to predict because if a few weeks ago someone would have said that Trump would be willing and able to kidnap a president or to act as a pirate in the Atlantic to conquer a ship that is under a Russian flag, we would also would have said this is just rhetoric and it wouldn't happen until it did," he said.
US "imperialist" intentions over Greenland shows "great disrespect" for NATO allies: German scholar
Residents living in Canada's biggest city of Toronto have expressed optimism that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China can unlock new economic opportunities, particularly in key fields such as artificial intelligence and infrastructure.
Carney is set to arrive in China on Wednesday to begin a four-day visit at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, marking the first trip by a Canadian prime minister to China since 2017.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Carney during his stay to provide new strategic guidance for further improving and developing China-Canada relations.
Giving their assessment of the significance of the visit and the outcomes they hope to see achieved, local people in Toronto pointed to the importance of deepening cooperation and view the high-tech sector as one of the most pivotal areas where ties can be enhanced.
"I think, of course, China is probably the leader in AI and new technologies. So, I think Canada can really benefit from Chinese expertise on some of the chip manufacturing or just the use of AI in the medical field, in every other finance field and everything. So, I think this can be very important for Canada to learn from China," said Raman, the provincial liaison manager at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
"I think it is a good idea to strengthen relations with other countries and other trade partners that have been probably more consistent. And especially with things going on in electronics right now and chip manufacturing, I do think that it makes sense at this point in time to be reaching out to China," said Jen, a local nurse.
Some see Carney's visit as an opportunity to broaden the economic agenda in various other key areas.
"I'm actually pretty looking forward to it because they could talk a lot about trade. That could be a good opportunity for Canada and China to explore some other export opportunities on energy, and also, maybe pipeline building, infrastructure building, and also, real estate investment and agriculture," said Xiong Lulu, an equity research analyst.
Looking ahead, many residents emphasize that much depends on whether Carney's visit can translate into concrete agreements.
"It would be nice. I hope there's some kind of good relationship between China and Canada. That would be like a great opportunity that we would miss if we didn't create that relationship with them. So, hopefully, in hindsight, [in] 2026 it does happen," said John, a software developer.
"I think if they can settle some trade deals, that will be great. So, I think it will be great for the Canadian economy," said Xiong.
President Xi and Carney last met on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in October, with both sides agreeing to resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields and jointly advance the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership.
Toronto residents optimistic about Canada-China cooperation prospects
