00:00To what degree are President Trump's designs on Greenland, do you think, tied to China?
00:04Well, it's hard to know because there's so many different explanations being offered by the Trump administration about this really problematic focus on Greenland.
00:14And I just say this, there's no question that there is a longer term strategic threat, given the fact that the passageway between Asia and the Atlantic is now navigable in the summer months.
00:29There is more of a threat, particularly from Russia, to Greenland, to Iceland, to other Arctic nations, than there had been in the past.
00:37So Greenland is very strategic. We have to contain and deter Russia.
00:43But the way to do that is to work through the NATO alliance.
00:46There is an Arctic Council of the eight Arctic countries. Russia is a member.
00:51The other seven members are all members of NATO, including Denmark and Greenland as part of the Danish Kingdom.
00:59And, of course, the United States.
01:01So if the concern here is that there is a threat from Russia and it's maybe in the long term strategic partner, China,
01:09the way to deal with it is to have a united NATO and seven of those nations, including the United States, working with Denmark and others and not attempting to buy or acquire by force Greenland from a vaunted and very reliable NATO ally, Denmark.
01:29And if you think about this, I was ambassador to NATO between 2001 and 2005.
01:35I remember very clearly what happened on 9-11 that afternoon in Brussels, as we looked at the Twin Towers falling in New York, 3000 people dead.
01:46We looked at the Pentagon being attacked and the Danish ambassador called me that afternoon and said they were with us.
01:53They would defend us.
01:55They would invoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty, an attack on one is an attack on all, which we did the next day.
02:00The Danes went into Afghanistan and now suddenly we have a situation and it's hard to believe we've come to this point where the leading member of NATO is threatening another NATO member with military force.
02:14That will break NATO.
02:16If the Trump administration tries to use military force to occupy Greenland, that will be the end of NATO.
02:24That will be the end of NATO.
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