Donald Trump could face mutiny by commanders over Greenland invasion | Politics | News


Donald Trump could face a mutiny by his commanders if he attempts to invade and takeover Greenland thanks to a 75-year-old secret law.ย 

Since his capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, Trump has become increasingly antagonistic towards Greenland, a sovereign territory of NATO ally Denmark.

But a law from 1951 could see his own generals rebel against him and scupper the 79-year-old US leader’s expansionist plans.

The law, that forms part of the 1951 Uniform Code of Military Justice, states that soldiers can refuse an illegal order, which means Trumpโ€™s generals could resign if theyโ€™re ordered to take Greenland.

This, combined with the fact that each US soldier is allowed a moral conscience under the US Constitutionโ€™s First Amendment, complicates what some see as Trumpโ€™s imperialist ambitions in the Arctic.

The revelation of this law comes ahead of Trumpโ€™s appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, an event where he is expected to speak as US planes head to Greenland.

There has been intense speculation surrounding what Trumpโ€™s plans are for Greenland – whether he will take it by force, or follow through with his plan to impose sanctions on countries that defy him.

So far, the countries subject to these sanctions are the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland. These sanctions, announced earlier this month, will start at 10 percent on all imports into the USA, before rising to 25 percent in June if Greenland has not been purchased by America.

Asked by NBC if he would follow through on these threats, Trump replied that he would and hinted that Europe should spend more time looking east than west.

He said: โ€œI will, 100 percentโ€ฆ. Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine because, frankly, you see what that’s gotten them… That’s what Europe should focus on – not Greenland.โ€

Meanwhile, in Greenland, the territory around which this latest Trump-related fracas focusses, there is growing upheaval and anxiety about what the next few months holds for the island.

Last week, the leaders of the five political parties in Greenland issued a joint statement on behalf of the people in which they said Greenlanders didnโ€™t want to join the USA as a state.

They said: โ€œWe donโ€™t want to be Americans, we donโ€™t want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders. The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders. No other country can meddle in this.

โ€œWe must decide our countryโ€™s future ourselves โ€“ without pressure to make a hasty decision, without procrastination, and without interference from other countries.โ€

This statement appeared to be ignored by Trump, who just before heading to Davos on Tuesday evening was asked by a reporter at the White House how far he was willing to go over Greenland.

He replied: โ€œYouโ€™ll find out.โ€

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