The Greenland War of 2026

by The Editorial Board, Wall Street Journal, Jan. 20, 2026- For more than 75 years, the fondest dream of Russian strategy has been to divide Western Europe from the U.S. and break the NATO alliance. That is now a possibility as President Trump presses his campaign to capture Greenland no matter what the locals or its Denmark owner thinks.

Mr. Trump on Saturday threatened to impose a 10% tariff starting Feb. 1 on a handful of European countries that have opposed his attempt to obtain U.S. sovereignty over Greenland. The tariff would jump to 25% on June 1. Presumably this tariff would come on top of the rates Mr. Trump already negotiated in trade deals last year (10% for Britain, 15% for the European Union).

... Mr. Trump is taking reckless risk with the NATO alliance that advances U.S. interests in the arctic.... The economics are nonsensical too. ...The Greenland Tariff War of 2026 imperils other U.S. priorities. ...No one should underestimate the shock his Greenland project is producing among allies. Along with his tariffs and his tilt toward Russia against Ukraine, he is alienating Western Europe in a way that will be hard to repair. It’s true that Europe may not be in a position to resist if Mr. Trump really wants to go to war over the island. But say good-bye to NATO.

The sad irony is that China and Russia may be the biggest winners, ... Whether or not Mr. Trump believes it, the U.S. needs friends in the world. (read it all at this link)

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