Description: Danish ministers of parliament voted for allowing US military presence on home soil in the midst of tensions regarding Trump’s repeated threats to annex the partially autonomous island of Greenland. The vote was overwhelmingly passed before Parliament as 94 ministers voted positively while 11 voted against as the bill was passed to the Danish King Frederik X pending his signature of approval. Oppositional critics labeled the bill as handing over parts of Danish sovereignty to the US in times of escalating tensions regarding the mineral – rich island of Greenland. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rokke Rasmussen answering questions from lawmakers stated that Denmark would be eligible to abandon the agreement if the US tries to annex parts of Greenland forcefully.
Impact: The passing of the Danish parliamentary bill allowing US military bases on their home soil marks a significant development in the trilateral tensions with the US and Greenland and a moderate shift in public narrative. Denmark has effectively limited the US options and forced the Trump administration to loosen the public spouting around Greenland’s annexation. By hosting US bases on its territory, Denmark restraints US foreign policy in the region as its shifts its previous narrative of violently attacking the US administration’s illegal annexation threats. Facing stiff opposition from Greenland’s indigenous population and Denmark’s diplomatic maneuvering, the US is expected to navigate around its initial aggressive approach and conform towards some sort of a cooperation agreement in order to be able to access Greenland’s vast rare earth element deposits.