Denmark Creates ‘Night Watch’ To Monitor Donald Trump Ove...

By Brendan Cole

Senior News Reporter

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Denmark’s government has set up a night watch alert system to monitor comments that President Donald Trump might make about Greenland, it has been reported.

The Danish foreign ministry has a team working shifts to keep tabs on any pronouncements the U.S. president might make about the autonomous territory, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, according to the Danish newspaper Politiken.

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, an expert on Danish-U.S. relations, told Newsweek the Danish government and Danish authorities remained very concerned about what Trump might do next in relation to Greenland.

Newsweek has contacted the Danish foreign ministry and the U.S. State Department for comment.

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Why It Matters

The newspaper said the policy has emerged after Trump’s statements that he would not rule out military or economic coercion to gain control of Greenland, a mineral-rich island which sits at the heart of the Arctic region contested by the U.S., Russia and China.

Copenhagen has repeatedly insisted that Greenland “is not for sale,” and Greenlanders themselves oppose the move, but the reported alert system shows the diplomatic reality faced by Denmark, and other countries, to the Trump administration.

What To Know

Politiken reported that the Danish civil service has had to adjust to better respond to possible aggressive messages from President Trump about Greenland.

A night watch at the foreign ministry in Copenhagen operates from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. to consider the time difference with the U.S. and to be able to react to any mention by Trump of the word “Greenland,” according to the paper.

A morning report is circulated in the morning to departments across the Danish government detailing any relevant overnight statements or developments, the outlet said.

It was reported that the the arrangement had been in place since spring as part of an effort to stay updated on Trump’s comments about Greenland.

Søndergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), has told Newsweek that Trump is still very much committed to this idea of getting control over Greenland but “the sense of urgency has been somewhat reduced from the early months of the year where there was sort of a red alert experience from the Danish diplomats.”

Søndergaard said that the understanding in Copenhagen was that Trump had changed his tactics and instead of outlandish comments about taking Greenland by force, he has shifted to appealing to Greenlanders themselves and touting economic opportunities. A poll in January showed most Greenlanders want to stay with Denmark than join the U.S, as reported by Euractiv.

Furthermore, Denmark’s government is hoping that democratic gains in the U.S. midterms “might stifle Trump's ambitions to take Greenland,” Søndergaard added.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he warned the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Ken Howery, to stay away from Greenland, according to Politico.

What People Are Saying

President Donald Trump told NBC in May: “We need Greenland very badly.”

Rasmus Sinding Søndergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), to Newsweek: “Denmark is currently trying to play for time, hoping that this will fizzle out and that maybe a democratic win in the US midterms might stifle Trump's ambitions to take Greenland.”

What Happens Next

Senior officials from the US, Denmark and Greenland are expected to meet in Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital in December to discuss cooperation on the military and other spheres, according to Bloomberg. This will be the first formal three-party meeting since Trump made his demands for ownership of Greenland.

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