Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.

Following the U.S. attack on Venezuela, the Trump administration has renewed its campaign to take over Greenland, which has been controlled by Denmark for more than 300 years. The White House says it’s considering “a range of options,” including the use of military force. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that if the U.S. were to attack Greenland, it would spell the end of NATO.

“Greenland is not up for sale,” says Aaju Peter, a Greenlandic Inuit activist and attorney, who says Indigenous Greenlanders want their independence from both the U.S. and Denmark.

We also speak with analyst Pavel Devyatkin, who says the U.S. is “acting like a rogue state” and enacting a policy of “pure imperialism.”

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

Following the U.S. attack on Venezuela and the abduction of the president, the Trump administration is publicly saying it wants to take over Greenland, which has been controlled by Denmark for over 300 years. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, quote, “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander in chief’s disposal,” she said. At a congressional briefing Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio floated the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland. White House adviser Stephen Miller talked about Greenland during an appearance on CNN.

STEPHEN MILLER: The United States should have Greenland as part of the United States. There is no need to even think or talk about this in the context that you’re asking of a military operation. Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland.

AMY GOODMAN: In that CNN interview, Stephen Miller defended the U.S. attack on Venezuela.

STEPHEN MILLER: We live in a world in which you can — you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world.

AMY GOODMAN: Meanwhile, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned, if the U.S. attacks Greenland, it will spell the end of NATO.

PRIME MINISTER METTE FREDERIKSEN: [translated] Firstly, I believe that the American president should be taken seriously when he says that he wants Greenland. But I also want to make it clear that if the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops — that is, including our NATO, and thus the security that has been provided since the end of the Second World War.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined now by two guests. Pavel Devyatkin is a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute, senior associate at The Arctic Institute. His new piece for Responsible Statecraft is headlined “Is Greenland next? Denmark says, not so fast.” He’s joining us from Moscow, Russia. And joining us from just south of the Arctic Circle in the Canadian city of Iqaluit is Aaju Peter. She’s a Greenlandic Inuit activist and attorney, recently featured in the documentary Twice Colonized.

We welcome you back to Democracy Now! Let’s begin with Pavel Devyatkin. Pavel, can you talk about what is at stake right now and the response by Denmark and also, of course, most importantly, the people of Greenland?

PAVEL DEVYATKIN: Thank you for having me, Amy.

Trump says we need Greenland for national security, but his threats actually harm our security and threaten to destroy international law and institutions. In trying to acquire Greenland, the U.S. is acting like a rogue state with a reckless foreign policy. There is absolutely no military threat to the U.S. from Greenland and no threat of Greenland forming military alliances with Russia or China. So this is pure imperialism.

Trump is claiming that Russian and........

© Truthout