[bell-cot]

I wouldn't describe Trump as seriously wanting to take over Greenland. Vs. being kinda desperate to talk big, get headlines, flex his ego, and distract folks from his domestic problems & waning voter approval numbers.

Obviously, that's no assurance that he won't actually try to do it. But I think he and his inner circle are quite aware that taking it would mostly remove "talk big about taking Greenland" from his rhetorical toolbox. While providing endless opportunities for Trump to look bad, for having "conquered" an undefended, high-maintenance block of ice.

[DustinEchoes]

This is what I thought about his tariff talk and then Obliteration Day happened.

[CamperBob2]

See also Roe v. Wade.

[bell-cot]

The tariffs turned on a fat revenue stream for Trump's Treasury. And brought a long queue of kneelers to his door, begging for tariff exemptions for their businesses.

[DustinEchoes]

Yes, eventually, after they were paused and walked back some. But immediately following Obliteration Day, they caused the stock and bond markets to crash. We were lucky that this time, the toothpaste could be put back in the tube.

[twixfel]

But that's a bad thing, special exemptions to tariffs based on patronage is good for Trump but terrible for the US. That's exactly one of the biggest reasons tariffs are so bad.

[tmcz26]

In International Relations the most dominant theory is called “Realism”[0], which basically says that States will be self-interested and cooperation happens when both sides gain from it, but also factors in each side’s powers, both military and soft. But in the end it’s RATIONAL actors.

Like having the Nuke is great because nobody is crazy enough to mess with you because you can nuke them, but also you will get nuked. Mutual Assured Destruction and whatnot.

I keep hearing people arguing that Trump is rational and making moves “because he can”. And the US absolutely can do pretty much whatever it wants because of it’s position in the globe. Where’s the limit though? What line crossed would make the world actually turn against the US?

To be honest I have a really hard time accepting that his actions are chess moves. The Venezuela thing is borderline crazy but the US has done it before multiple times.

The Greenland stuff.. THAT would be nuts. That would in fact show he’s not rational and his people can’t hold him back anymore.

Or maybe I eat my words and this is more like the tariffs thing, where he barks and growls but in the end is a bully tactic to get others to do what he wants. Because that has in fact worked somewhat well.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realism_(international_relatio...

[taylodl]

> Or maybe I eat my words and this is more like the tariffs thing, where he barks and growls but in the end is a bully tactic to get others to do what he wants. Because that has in fact worked somewhat well.

What if Venezuela undoes that? What if countries decide they're going to squelch on their concessions to Trump as a result?

[tmcz26]

I don’t know. I see more comparisons with Libya or Syria or Central America in the 60s-70s-80s. Invasions and government toppling of non-central countries that draw a frown, but that nobody would actually jump in the fire to save.

Denmark? An EU, NATO country? Shit that would really be unprecedented.

[DemocracyFTW2]

fascists have no right to rule our world