NORTHERN NATO COUNTRIES TO DETER TRUMP NOT RUSSIA & CHINA IN ARCTIC

Written by Michael Thervil

NORTHERN NATO COUNTRIES TO DETER TRUMP NOT RUSSIA & CHINA IN ARCTIC | PHOTO BY INA FASSBENDER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

[NATO trump Russia China arctic] While the temperature of President Trump threatening to utilize military force to annex Greenland has come down, it seems that European NATO members has been determined to ramp things up in the arctic again by continuing to deploying their militaries in a joint training operation entitled “Arctic Sentry” as an attempt to identify security gaps in the region that needed to be addressed. These joint European military drills between Norway, Finland, Greenland, and Switzerland in the arctic were stated to be conducted due to the perceived threat of Russia and China in the region. Although, neither Russia nor China have yet to have demonstrated any type of threatening posture in the past, this leads many to believe that the explanation of counter Russia and China in the region is nothing more than cover for the participating NATO nations to counter the threats of President Trump to forcefully annex Greenland for not only national security reason but for the building of what he calls an “Iron Dome”.

Also playing a role in safeguarding the arctic will be the United Kingdom, whom of which has pledged to increase the deployment of its military presence in the arctic from 1,000 to just over 2,000 within the next three years. While the acts of northern European NATO members have angered President Trump, many geopolitical analysts take the position that their actions are not without warrant because of the unpredictable and extreme nature of “Trumpian Politics”. Even if the actions of participating NATO members were to deter Russia and China from operating in the area, it would not completely stop them from doing so as the international law of navigational freedom within the high seas still takes effect. This is coupled with the fact that Russia has been the longest standing nation with solid infrastructure built in the arctic.

The bottom line is this, the aggressive rhetoric of seeking to use military action to forcibly annex Greenland, the Trump Administration has essentially frightened arctic NATO members to the point that they feel that they must at least prepare for the unpredictable nature of the Trump Administration. Although Russia and China have not only carried out peaceful operations in the arctic for their own strategic national interest, neither country has signaled any acts of aggression that would prompt any NATO country to deploy any military assets to counter Russia and China presence in the region. With that single qualification being met, it would be not only costly for NATO countries to deploy their military in the region just because, but it would be wasteful. Therefore, the best possible and plausible explanation for the NATO European military buildup in the arctic region is to both counter and deter the Trump Administration.