Danish intelligence report warns of US economic influence, military threat under Trump
The United States is using its economic power to “assert its will” and threaten military force against friends and foes alike, a Danish intelligence agency said in a new report.
Denmark’s defense intelligence service, in its latest annual assessment, said Washington’s greater assertiveness under the Trump administration also comes as China and Russia seek to diminish Western, particularly American, influence.
Perhaps the most sensitive point for Denmark – a member of NATO and the European Union and an ally of the United States – is the growing competition between these great powers in the Arctic. US President Donald Trump has expressed a desire to see Greenland, a semi-autonomous, mineral-rich territory of Denmark, become part of the United States, a move opposed by Russia and much of Europe.
“The strategic importance of the Arctic is increasing as conflict between Russia and the West intensifies, and the United States’ growing security and strategic focus on the Arctic will further accelerate these developments,” said the report released Wednesday.
The assessment also follows last week’s release of a new national security strategy from the Trump administration that paints European allies as weak and aims to reassert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was concerned about NATO’s activities in the Arctic and would respond by strengthening its military capacity in the polar region.
The report’s findings and analyzes echo a series of recent concerns, particularly in Western Europe, about an increasingly autonomous approach by the United States, which, under Trump’s second term, has favored bilateral agreements and partnerships at the expense of multilateral alliances like NATO.
“For many countries outside the West, entering into strategic agreements with China rather than the United States has become a viable option,” reads the report, written in Danish. “China and Russia, along with other like-minded states, seek to reduce the global influence of the West – and particularly the United States. »
“At the same time, uncertainty has increased about how the United States will prioritize its resources in the future,” he adds. “This gives regional powers greater room to maneuver, allowing them to choose between the United States and China or strike a balance between the two. »
The Trump administration has raised concerns about compliance with international law with its series of deadly strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean – part of a campaign of increased pressure against President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.
Trump also refused to rule out military intervention in Greenland, where the United States already has a military base.
“The United States is exploiting its economic power, including the threat of high tariffs, to assert its will, and the possibility of using military force – even against its allies – is no longer excluded,” the report said.
