Greenland?
01-21-2026 | 02:44 PM
#11
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respectfully disagree. Antagonism does not work in the long run. The story gets spun at home that america is an unstable ally and shouldn’t be worked with, and (insert X country’s) political apparatus will need to follow the will of the people in order to stay in office. Im all for establishing fair deals, but you keep your ego out of it and apply pressure behind the scenes imho.
where are the epstein files btw?
where are the epstein files btw?
01-22-2026 | 07:47 AM
#12
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From: Engines Turn or People Swim
respectfully disagree. Antagonism does not work in the long run. The story gets spun at home that america is an unstable ally and shouldn’t be worked with, and (insert X country’s) political apparatus will need to follow the will of the people in order to stay in office. Im all for establishing fair deals, but you keep your ego out of it and apply pressure behind the scenes imho.
But current beltway speculation is that what Trump (actually some of his long-time, less visible policy advisors) wanted was access to Greenland without the Danish parliament getting to vote on every gravel road, temporary trailer, etc. There are rumblings that he got that in the draft deal, and it's fairly obvious that he wouldn't have got it by asking nicely.
Hopefully Trump himself will personally take all of the heat for this, and after the Bad Cop is gone the angst can mostly go with him.
In fairness something needed to change eventually, partly due to RU's recent behavior but also due to ice melting. Denmark didn't look like they had any interest or intent... Greenland is a lot of auxiliary territory to handle for a country that size.
01-22-2026 | 09:18 AM
#13
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Generally I agree, this was way over the top in tone and threats against allies.
But current beltway speculation is that what Trump (actually some of his long-time, less visible policy advisors) wanted was access to Greenland without the Danish parliament getting to vote on every gravel road, temporary trailer, etc. There are rumblings that he got that in the draft deal, and it's fairly obvious that he wouldn't have got it by asking nicely.
Hopefully Trump himself will personally take all of the heat for this, and after the Bad Cop is gone the angst can mostly go with him.
In fairness something needed to change eventually, partly due to RU's recent behavior but also due to ice melting. Denmark didn't look like they had any interest or intent... Greenland is a lot of auxiliary territory to handle for a country that size.
But current beltway speculation is that what Trump (actually some of his long-time, less visible policy advisors) wanted was access to Greenland without the Danish parliament getting to vote on every gravel road, temporary trailer, etc. There are rumblings that he got that in the draft deal, and it's fairly obvious that he wouldn't have got it by asking nicely.
Hopefully Trump himself will personally take all of the heat for this, and after the Bad Cop is gone the angst can mostly go with him.
In fairness something needed to change eventually, partly due to RU's recent behavior but also due to ice melting. Denmark didn't look like they had any interest or intent... Greenland is a lot of auxiliary territory to handle for a country that size.
The Secretary of NATO has zero authority to negotiate anything regarding another nations sovereign territory. Whatever was discussed would at best be a starting point for discussions between parties with authority.
The former head of Denmarks military used the phrase that Trump was kicking in an open door.
it may not be so open now.
For the moment military force and tariffs are off the table.
The administration has a PR off ramp.
PR is the only thing that matters to them, so it will be spun as a win, with the hopes of dying quietly.
01-23-2026 | 10:48 AM
#14
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Getting back to the subject of Greenland, we really are starting to take the arctic more seriously.
We are buying and/or building a number of icebreakers - a capability we have long let languish:
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/whats-next-for-navy-icebreakers-2026-preview/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q48d71ke8o
There is even talk of reopening the BRAC closed naval facilities at ADAK wher once we had a base housing about 6000 active duty and dependents:
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/news...base-in-alaska
https://arcticmilitarytracker.csis.org
We are buying and/or building a number of icebreakers - a capability we have long let languish:
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/12/whats-next-for-navy-icebreakers-2026-preview/
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0q48d71ke8o
There is even talk of reopening the BRAC closed naval facilities at ADAK wher once we had a base housing about 6000 active duty and dependents:
https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/news...base-in-alaska
https://arcticmilitarytracker.csis.org
01-24-2026 | 10:21 AM
#15
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Meanwhile, back in the USA…
https://www.politico.eu/article/us-national-defense-strategy-downgrade-europe-elevate-greenland-priority/
JANUARY 24, 2026 3:39 PM CET
BY MARTINA SAPIOThe new U.S. defense strategy formally pushes Europe down Washington's list of priorities while elevating Greenland to a core homeland security concern — suggesting European allies will be expected to shoulder more responsibility for their own defense.
“Although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and declining share of global economic power,” the National Defense Strategy, published late Friday, states. “It follows that while the United States will remain engaged in Europe, it must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. homeland and deterring China.”
The strategy also makes clear that in Europe “allies will take the lead” against threats that are “less severe” for the United States but more acute for them, with Washington providing “critical but more limited support.”
The document argues that Europe is economically and militarily capable of defending itself, noting that non-U.S. NATO members dwarf Russia in economic scale, and are therefore “strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”
At the same time, the strategy places emphasis on Greenland, explicitly listing the Arctic island — alongside the Panama Canal — as terrain the U.S. must secure to protect its homeland interests.
The Pentagon says it will provide the president with “credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain from the Arctic to South America, especially Greenland,” adding that “we will ensure that the Monroe Doctrine is upheld in our time.”
That framing aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric on Greenland, which has unsettled European capitals and fueled concern over Washington's long-term intentions in the Arctic.
The defense strategy builds on the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy released in December, which recast the Western Hemisphere — rather than Europe — as the primary arena for defending U.S. security.
While the earlier document went further in criticizing Europe’s trajectory, both strategies stress continued engagement paired with a clear expectation that European allies will increasingly take the lead on threats closer to home.
BY MARTINA SAPIOThe new U.S. defense strategy formally pushes Europe down Washington's list of priorities while elevating Greenland to a core homeland security concern — suggesting European allies will be expected to shoulder more responsibility for their own defense.
“Although Europe remains important, it has a smaller and declining share of global economic power,” the National Defense Strategy, published late Friday, states. “It follows that while the United States will remain engaged in Europe, it must — and will — prioritize defending the U.S. homeland and deterring China.”
The strategy also makes clear that in Europe “allies will take the lead” against threats that are “less severe” for the United States but more acute for them, with Washington providing “critical but more limited support.”
The document argues that Europe is economically and militarily capable of defending itself, noting that non-U.S. NATO members dwarf Russia in economic scale, and are therefore “strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.”
At the same time, the strategy places emphasis on Greenland, explicitly listing the Arctic island — alongside the Panama Canal — as terrain the U.S. must secure to protect its homeland interests.
The Pentagon says it will provide the president with “credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain from the Arctic to South America, especially Greenland,” adding that “we will ensure that the Monroe Doctrine is upheld in our time.”
That framing aligns with President Donald Trump’s recent rhetoric on Greenland, which has unsettled European capitals and fueled concern over Washington's long-term intentions in the Arctic.
The defense strategy builds on the Trump administration’s National Security Strategy released in December, which recast the Western Hemisphere — rather than Europe — as the primary arena for defending U.S. security.
While the earlier document went further in criticizing Europe’s trajectory, both strategies stress continued engagement paired with a clear expectation that European allies will increasingly take the lead on threats closer to home.
01-25-2026 | 12:34 PM
#16
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respectfully disagree. Antagonism does not work in the long run. The story gets spun at home that america is an unstable ally and shouldn’t be worked with, and (insert X country’s) political apparatus will need to follow the will of the people in order to stay in office. Im all for establishing fair deals, but you keep your ego out of it and apply pressure behind the scenes imho.
where are the epstein files btw?
where are the epstein files btw?
Running after any ball thrown like a good little doggy...
01-25-2026 | 03:42 PM
#17
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01-26-2026 | 06:05 AM
#18
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He lists "6 Pillars "as sources of strength for the USA. As with everything in the real world, to some degree they are all connected.
They are all in various stages of being deliberately destroyed.
He succinctly lays out how unprecedented it is for a nation to consciously dismantle its core sources of strength, power, and influence. All being done simultaneously.
So, agreed. There is not some sort of master-class strategy at work. It is an infantile rage based on flaws and failings in a complex system, developed over 80 plus years, that has provided the USA and much of the world security, wealth, and innovation. Due to it being self-inflicted, it is probably the most astonishingly stupid geopolitical development in modern history.
It reminds me of Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution all wrapped together, but with even less thought and reflection. A self-inflicted national suicide attempt.
The main difference between Mao's China and todays USA is that the catastrophe that befell China was localized.
What is currently underway will manifest itself as a worldwide contagion, which will greatly magnify the degree of the catastrophe and associated suffering.
Considering Russia's expanded 2022 invasion of Ukraine, I now look upon the hopes at that time of saving the international rules-based order as a lost cause. Russia's defeat in Ukraine will not save what we had, because they are no longer the principal attacker of "The World that Was".
For the sake of Ukraine, Poland and the rest of world, Russian defeat will still be a positive. But it is past the point where other such chaos can be avoided.
01-26-2026 | 06:51 AM
#19
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 3,268
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In "Wired" Garrett M. Graff has an essay titled "We are Witnessing the Self-Immolation of a Superpower". Unfortunately, it is behind a paywall.
He lists "6 Pillars "as sources of strength for the USA. As with everything in the real world, to some degree they are all connected.
They are all in various stages of being deliberately destroyed.
He succinctly lays out how unprecedented it is for a nation to consciously dismantle its core sources of strength, power, and influence. All being done simultaneously.
So, agreed. There is not some sort of master-class strategy at work. It is an infantile rage based on flaws and failings in a complex system, developed over 80 plus years, that has provided the USA and much of the world security, wealth, and innovation. Due to it being self-inflicted, it is probably the most astonishingly stupid geopolitical development in modern history.
It reminds me of Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution all wrapped together, but with even less thought and reflection. A self-inflicted national suicide attempt.
The main difference between Mao's China and todays USA is that the catastrophe that befell China was localized.
What is currently underway will manifest itself as a worldwide contagion, which will greatly magnify the degree of the catastrophe and associated suffering.
Considering Russia's expanded 2022 invasion of Ukraine, I now look upon the hopes at that time of saving the international rules-based order as a lost cause. Russia's defeat in Ukraine will not save what we had, because they are no longer the principal attacker of "The World that Was".
For the sake of Ukraine, Poland and the rest of world, Russian defeat will still be a positive. But it is past the point where other such chaos can be avoided.
He lists "6 Pillars "as sources of strength for the USA. As with everything in the real world, to some degree they are all connected.
They are all in various stages of being deliberately destroyed.
He succinctly lays out how unprecedented it is for a nation to consciously dismantle its core sources of strength, power, and influence. All being done simultaneously.
So, agreed. There is not some sort of master-class strategy at work. It is an infantile rage based on flaws and failings in a complex system, developed over 80 plus years, that has provided the USA and much of the world security, wealth, and innovation. Due to it being self-inflicted, it is probably the most astonishingly stupid geopolitical development in modern history.
It reminds me of Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution all wrapped together, but with even less thought and reflection. A self-inflicted national suicide attempt.
The main difference between Mao's China and todays USA is that the catastrophe that befell China was localized.
What is currently underway will manifest itself as a worldwide contagion, which will greatly magnify the degree of the catastrophe and associated suffering.
Considering Russia's expanded 2022 invasion of Ukraine, I now look upon the hopes at that time of saving the international rules-based order as a lost cause. Russia's defeat in Ukraine will not save what we had, because they are no longer the principal attacker of "The World that Was".
For the sake of Ukraine, Poland and the rest of world, Russian defeat will still be a positive. But it is past the point where other such chaos can be avoided.
Side show farce. Impactful as a pot of bubbling borscht. But by avoiding tactical pitfalls and resisting temptation to surrender Kiev, growing internal fault lines will once again break through the Stalinist columns of blood stained boots diminutive Vladimir Putin has somehow brought back to life. The slimy, smirking Soviet rat his boundless supporters pretend to admire so faithfully. Truly sickening twist of fate.Count on it to come & go. Things like this never last.
01-26-2026 | 08:00 AM
#20
Perennial Reserve
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 14,081
Likes: 182
In "Wired" Garrett M. Graff has an essay titled "We are Witnessing the Self-Immolation of a Superpower". Unfortunately, it is behind a paywall.
He lists "6 Pillars "as sources of strength for the USA. As with everything in the real world, to some degree they are all connected.
They are all in various stages of being deliberately destroyed.
He succinctly lays out how unprecedented it is for a nation to consciously dismantle its core sources of strength, power, and influence. All being done simultaneously.
So, agreed. There is not some sort of master-class strategy at work. It is an infantile rage based on flaws and failings in a complex system, developed over 80 plus years, that has provided the USA and much of the world security, wealth, and innovation. Due to it being self-inflicted, it is probably the most astonishingly stupid geopolitical development in modern history.
It reminds me of Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution all wrapped together, but with even less thought and reflection. A self-inflicted national suicide attempt.
The main difference between Mao's China and todays USA is that the catastrophe that befell China was localized.
What is currently underway will manifest itself as a worldwide contagion, which will greatly magnify the degree of the catastrophe and associated suffering.
Considering Russia's expanded 2022 invasion of Ukraine, I now look upon the hopes at that time of saving the international rules-based order as a lost cause. Russia's defeat in Ukraine will not save what we had, because they are no longer the principal attacker of "The World that Was".
For the sake of Ukraine, Poland and the rest of world, Russian defeat will still be a positive. But it is past the point where other such chaos can be avoided.
He lists "6 Pillars "as sources of strength for the USA. As with everything in the real world, to some degree they are all connected.
They are all in various stages of being deliberately destroyed.
He succinctly lays out how unprecedented it is for a nation to consciously dismantle its core sources of strength, power, and influence. All being done simultaneously.
So, agreed. There is not some sort of master-class strategy at work. It is an infantile rage based on flaws and failings in a complex system, developed over 80 plus years, that has provided the USA and much of the world security, wealth, and innovation. Due to it being self-inflicted, it is probably the most astonishingly stupid geopolitical development in modern history.
It reminds me of Mao's Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution all wrapped together, but with even less thought and reflection. A self-inflicted national suicide attempt.
The main difference between Mao's China and todays USA is that the catastrophe that befell China was localized.
What is currently underway will manifest itself as a worldwide contagion, which will greatly magnify the degree of the catastrophe and associated suffering.
Considering Russia's expanded 2022 invasion of Ukraine, I now look upon the hopes at that time of saving the international rules-based order as a lost cause. Russia's defeat in Ukraine will not save what we had, because they are no longer the principal attacker of "The World that Was".
For the sake of Ukraine, Poland and the rest of world, Russian defeat will still be a positive. But it is past the point where other such chaos can be avoided.
https://www.thepharmacist.co.uk/comm...rin-last-week/
alt=""
So what does the UK running out of aspirin have to do with anything you ask? It’s a direct refutation of your quote:
He succinctly lays out how unprecedented it is for a nation to consciously dismantle its core sources of strength, power, and influence. All being done simultaneously.
Aspirin isn’t protected by patent. It’s been around since 1899. It’s easy to make. It’s cheap to make. But it is marginally cheaper to make in other countries and ship to England. That was the idea of globalization. It was supposed to increase efficiency by producing things where they could most cheaply be produced. And when it works, it does that. When it works.
But it also creates very involved supply chains and every link in that chain - all those ‘just in time’ supplies and supply chains - become new single point failure modes. Speaking of pharmaceuticals,
in 2019 the US imported 72% of its prescription pharmaceuticals from overseas - mostly from China and India:
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/cong...onomy-10302019
Today it’s upwards of 80 to 90%.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cha...ts-from-china/
So what happens when a war breaks out between India and China? Hardly unlikely. They’ve fought often before. Or between Pakistan and India only this time it goes nuclear? Because we aren’t just importing cheap drugs, we are exporting the job skills and closing the factories it takes to produce these things. And while both can be resurrected, that is a long lead time process, building both the factory and the job skills to do it.
Eight years ago the US had one plant close and got into a serious shortage of normal saline, used in large quantities in all sorts of surgeries and medications. https://www.ons.org/11-2017/yes-ther...an-do-about-it
It only really got resolved about 7 months ago. https://www.aabb.org/news-resources/...aline-shortage
Normal saline ain’t patented. Raw ingredients are water and table salt.the formula is nine grams of salt to a liter of water. Not rocket science certainly, but the sterilization and purification take specialized equipment and a workforce that is PROFICIENT and we had to build both - pretty much from scratch. Piecemeal. During an epidemic.
Redundancy is sometimes necessary. Being internally self sufficient or at least having a backup is sometimes more important than peak efficiency. And you aren’t as tempted to play world’s policeman.
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