U.S. Adventurism: Washington's unilateralism over Venezuela, Greenland exposes deepening transatlantic rift and credibility crisis

CGTN

As the US focuses on securing strategic resources and countering rivals, Greenland has become a focal point, seen by some officials as vital to American interests. This approach, extending from the Arctic to Venezuela, is sidelining established international norms and deepening divisions within the Atlantic alliance. CGTN's Zhou Jiaxin has more. 

ZHOU JIAXIN CGTN "The United States' seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has laid bare a hard truth: America is showing greater disregard for international law. And its unilateral approach to diplomacy, no longer spares its allies.

Now, one can imagine that European leaders and politicians are bracing themselves for a similar ill-fated scenario when it comes to Greenland's precarious future."

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GUY BURTON International Affairs Specialist, Visiting Scholar at Lancaster University "If we're thinking about great power politics and the sphere of influence, Venezuela forces within. America's National Security Strategy last month has been emphasizing making the Western hemisphere more prominent in terms of open space. So, I think for many Europeans, there's little to gain from criticizing Trump, because doing that is only antagonizing him."

The Trump administration's National Security Strategy with what experts call a "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, has turned European autonomy into a potential strategic liability – abandonment of Ukraine, or worse, a real threat to European territory like Greenland.

GUY BURTON International Affairs Specialist, Visiting Scholar at Lancaster University "The Europeans are trying to balance support for Ukraine and trying to ensure Americans don't abandon Ukraine, with talks about peace with Russia. At the same time, they have to navigate and negotiate this tension over Greenland. Let's be honest, Denmark, or even the other countries within NATO are not going to withstand American military pressure to take Greenland."

But if the US can unilaterally dismantle international norms in its "backyard," then what stops it from doing the same in Europe's neighborhood?

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GUY BURTON International Affairs Specialist, Visiting Scholar at Lancaster University "We're faced with the fact that America has changed, and therefore, American relationship with Europe has changed. There has been a lot talk over the last decade or so in Europe about the need for greater autonomy, or strategic independence. But we've seen very little of that in actual practice."

Europe's credibility in the Global South has also been weakened, in part due to perceived double standards. When US officials describe regime changes as "democracy promotion" or dismiss sovereignty as "obstacles to negotiations," Europe faces pressure to define clear red lines or speak out and against Washington's actions.

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GUY BURTON International Affairs Specialist, Visiting Scholar at Lancaster University "The Europeans, yes, are struggling with the traditional partner of the last eighty years, but that doesn't mean they turn all others out that they can neither forget about working with, nor should they."

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