Why does Donald Trump want Greenland? According to Ian Bremmer, President of the Eurasia Group, it has little to do with strategy and everything to do with ego.
Speaking to NDTV's Vishnu Som on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Bremmer laid bare what he sees as the real motivation behind Trump's Arctic fixation.
"I wish I knew,” he said. "Why does Trump want his name on things? Why does Trump want the Kennedy Center to be called the Trump Kennedy Center? Why is he so desperate to have a Nobel Peace Prize?”
"Historically, his life and greatest success have been about promoting his brand,” Bremmer added. "Even on things he doesn't own, he wants them to be named Trump. He gains some benefit from that.”
"I speak for myself,” he said, "I would not feel any particular growth in self-worth from having my name on something I didn't do anything for. But Trump doesn't feel that way.”
Bremmer suggested Trump's desire to "own” Greenland may be driven by image. "He's seen it on the map and it looks a lot bigger with the Mercator projection than it really is. He wants to say it's his.”
Bremmer said no one in Trump's administration has offered a credible security reason for acquiring Greenland. "Everyone I've spoken to does not have a good reason why you need to own Greenland to ensure the security concerns that the Americans have.”
He pointed out that the Danish Prime Minister, "who I know very well,” has made clear that Denmark is willing to negotiate on all U.S. security concerns in Greenland. "The Americans have been unwilling to negotiate those concerns with her,” he said. "Obviously this is something more existential for Trump… involving his own personal ego. And when the interests of the president as a person become different from the interests of a country, you have a real problem. That's where we are.”
Is This The Beginning Of The End For NATO?
On whether Trump's behavior could mark the beginning of the end for NATO, Bremmer did not hesitate.
"If Trump persists on this path, it will be the end of NATO,” he warned. "Europeans now feel like they can't trust their critical ally.”
He added that Trump has made similarly reckless statements in the past like calling Canada the 51st state and walked them back. "But this is a truly stupid thing.”
"It's very unpopular in the United States. Americans don't know why the U.S. should want Greenland. Redlanders and bluelanders in the U.S. matter more to Trump than Greenlanders.”
The bigger issue, Bremmer said, is that "his closest advisers are reluctant to tell him he's making a big mistake. And that can get you into trouble.”
