[ad_1]
(This article is part of the View From India newsletter curated by The Hindu’s foreign affairs experts. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Monday, subscribe here.)
When disruption becomes a powerful leader’s default tactic, more turbulence is only to be expected. In his latest reiteration of the threat to take control of Greenland, a self-governing Danish island of some 57,000 people, saying it is “vital” for America’s national security, US President Donald Trump has set off a fresh round of global anxiety. Read Stanly Johny’s report for context.
“The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post on January 14, 2026, referring to the multi-layer missile defence system the U.S. has proposed to develop. Further, Mr. Trump has announced tariffs on European and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) allies in this connection, despite having negotiated trade deals with the U.K. and the European Union in 2025. His decision, announced on social media, applies to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland. Mr. Trump said the countries would pay a 10% tariff on their exports to the U.S. starting February 1. The rate would go up to 25% from June 2026, Sriram Lakshman reports. “This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland,” Mr. Trump wrote, sparking considerable fear, especially in the wake of his recent decision to send American troops to Venezuela to audaciously kidnap a sitting president of a sovereign country.
As The Hindu editorial today notes: “Leaving aside the neo-imperialist impulse that is implicit in the Trump administration’s plans to control non-allied nations’ territories based on the threat of military action, or to bully allies by weaponising tariffs against them, such actions are tantamount to a violation of international law, and in the case of the EU, risk degrading years of progress made on transatlantic trade agreements.”
The editorial further contended that: “Whatever the denouement of this Trump-made conflict, it will likely take years, if not decades to heal the worsening transatlantic rift that has beset the region. Meanwhile a weakened NATO will stand less able to assist Ukraine in facing off against the depredations of an aggressive Russia on the eastern front. The need of the hour is enlightened leadership, a far cry from what is presently on offer in Washington.”
Top 5 stories we are reading this week
- Iran protests | The revolution will not be televised – Stanly Johny on how a shopkeepers’ strike transformed into one of the largest anti-government protests the Islamic Republic has seen
- Why did Saudi Arabia oppose the U.S.’s strike on Iran – Stanly Johny explains
- Borders should not be decided by tanks or terrorists: Poland Deputy PM Sikorski tells Suhasini Haidar in this interview
- India-Germany ties can only soar higher – German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann on the symbolism and substance of the recent visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
- Top EU leaders to visit India as Republic Day guests; likely to sign trade deal – T .C.A. Sharad Raghavan and Suhasini Haidar report
Published – January 19, 2026 04:55 pm IST
[ad_2]
Tackling a bully
