NICHOLAS KHOO
Donald Trump is an unusual United States president in that he may be the first to strike greater anxiety in allies than in adversaries.
Take the responses to his pre-inauguration comments about buying Greenland, for instance, which placed US ally Denmark at the center of the global foreign policy radar screen and caused the Danish government – which retains control of the territory’s foreign and security policies — to declare Greenland isn’t for sale.
Canada is also in Trump’s sights with trade tariff threats and claims it should be the 51st US state. Its government has vociferously opposed Trump’s comments, begun back-channel lobbying in Washington and prepared for trade retaliation.
Both cases highlight the coming challenges for management of the global US alliance network in an era of increased great power rivalry – not least for NATO, of which Denmark and Canada are member states.
Members of that network saw off the Soviet Union’s formidable Cold War challenge and are now crucial to addressing China’s complex challenge to contemporary international order. They might be excused for asking themselves the question: with allies like this, who needs adversaries?
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