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Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

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Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#361

Post by teiferer »

throwaway5235 wrote: post #308
teiferer wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How are US tech folks more enabling Trump than anybody else who pays tax there?

"Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, spent more than $290 million supporting Donald Trump and his MAGA allies on the campaign trail last year." [1] "Exclusive: How Palantir's Alex Karp went full MAGA" [2] Look at All In Podcast - tech VCs - they are all in support of this administration. [1] https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-polit... [2] https://www.axios.com/2025/10/23/trump-alex-karp-palantir-m…

Context was "The Americans on HN driving tech, ...". I'm not sure that includes Elon.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#362

Post by geremiiah »

legitster wrote: post #217

Even all of the purely imperialistic stated reasons for taking Greenland make no sense. National security? We already have the right to station as many troops there as we want! And we have actually removed troops recently. Mineral rights? America is already richly endowed - its just impossible to access what we have when permitting is almost impossible. If there were actually valuable lodes in Greenland, it would pro…

One motivation is surely to humilate the European leaders which they despise.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#363

Post by esseph »

adventured wrote: post #281
bojan wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be a horrible deal for the Greenlanders, and they know it - there were polls recently and Vance was pretty much told that when he visited there. The US is allowed for decades to have a military presence on Greenland, but the US Army has been diminishing it's presence as the time went by.

Up it to $5 million per Greenlander then. The US can afford to pull the trigger on a $250-$280 billion acquisition. The EU can't afford to counter it. To put that sum into perspective for the US economy: that's merely 2.x years of operating income for Google. There's no scenario where the people of Greenland reject that $250b offer in a free vote.

Politically if he gave out $5mil per Danish citizen in Greenland he would face an actual revolt at home.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#364

Post by dyauspitr »

yoyohello13 wrote: post #220
dyauspitr wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Americans you’re trying to reach are not here. They’re in Facebook and right wing social bubbles with a constant influx of fresh slop propaganda. It’s unprecedented in the fact that it’s affecting people at the family unit level with people tearing off into political parties within families that cut off all contact from each other.

You'd be surprised how many people on HN voted for this. A lot of people seem to only care about their stock portfolio, and Trump makes number go up.

I believe you’re right but at this point it’s a single issue cult for a lot of folks. For instance, I know a very rational, personable guy that seems generally progressive on a variety of social issues but calls for the extermination of trans people with a straight face. There’s no reasoning with these people, even the ones swayed by rational opinion in other parts of their life.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#365

Post by teiferer »

wtcactus wrote: post #306
teiferer wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had Merkel not opened the border in 2015, Germany would be far worse off. If you ever set foot into a German retirement home, hospital, restaurant, random shop at the central station, cinema, xmas market, you name it, you realize that all those immigrants are currently carrying the economy. She should get a prize for this instead of being blamed. Even if you don't care about the moral aspect of helping refugees.

In Germany, 23% of the people in working age, don't work [1]. The "refugees are carrying the economy", because you are effectively paying 23% of the local working age population (I'm here assuming you aren't paying refugees to go there and not work, right?) to slack. Remove their benefits and see how quickly you don't need to import people to do those jobs. And no, I don't care about the "moral aspect" of not "helpin…

You can't just give any random job to any random person. Go out on the street, talk to the first homeless person and then tell me that for your mom's hip replacement surgery next week for which a Syrian doctor is scheduled, you rather see that person scheduled. And the rehab for which an Afghan immigrant is scheduled, you would prefer the homeless' friend next to him, smelling of Jägermeister. After you did that, we talk again.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#366

Post by TurdF3rguson »

alibarber wrote: post #210
drysine wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>holds a substantial share of US deb That's the EU's problem, not Trump's)

A mass selloff of US bonds will mean that the US can’t sell any more - because the market is suddenly flooded with bonds at a ‘discount’. This means that the US can’t take on any more debt (borrow money) Why would you pay the US $10 when you can get the same thing from France for $8? Or the US then has to issue bonds with massively inflated returns - i.e. pay a much higher interest rate.

On the other hand, China sold off most of theirs and nobody even noticed. I think you're exaggerating both how much EU holds and the potential effects of them selling it.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#367

Post by gambiting »

rpiguy wrote: post #301
gambiting wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>>I fully support the US taking Greenland by non-military means. Makes sense economically and militarily. So their own wishes on the topic don't matter? Also I cannot think of many worse fates for Danes than becoming American, yeah I'm sure they can't wait to have their privatised healthcare and Gestapo policing. What Americans want in this scenario matters less than what Russians want in regards to Ukraine. >>The Da…

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>>The US needs control of arctic sea lanes

I literally couldn't care less about what US "needs". Russia "needs" Ukraine and similarly no one should be respecting them for it. You Americans think you own the world - you don't.

>>This is pure national security and economic security pragmatism.

Yes and I'm sure Putin sells his war in the same way to his citizens.

>>and I don’t want my country to collapse economically or militarily so taking Greenland is easy to reconcile.

If you think taking Greenland will do anything of that sort then you are deeply delusional. Trump and the other fascists will stuff their pockets and the inevitable conflict that follows will make your defence companies rich.

>>We kept the Soviets at bay

I'm sorry, what are you talking about exactly? The Soviets that fought with you to defeat the Nazis? The Soviets you have subsidized with billions of dollars during WW2 with weapons and supplies to defeat Hitler? Those Soviets?

>>The US propped up Europe for 70 years after WW2 and paid for its defense

I assume you never actually sat down to think why that is, and if it might have something to do with the fact that US both wanted to do this and it was in their interest to continue doing so. To now say something as stupid as "the bill is due" is uneducated at best, malicious at worst.

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#368

Post by maxloh »

brabel wrote: post #360
randallsquared wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China already claims Taiwan, and has for decades; the only thing keeping it practically separate is uncertainty over the outcome in various dimensions if China tries to take it militarily. I don't think there's any doubt that if they were sure they could take it relatively bloodlessly and without significant repercussion, they would do so immediately.

The US recognizes Taiwan as part of China since the 70’s though its position is quite ambiguous! I found this document by the US congress that explains the history behind the rather bizarre situation Taiwan finds itself today: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12503

Nope. The US One China Policy (not to be confused with China's One China Principle) only "acknowledges" China's claim over Taiwan. The wording is intended to be vague so that each side can interpret the meaning according to their own interests (like China claiming "acknowledge" actually means "recognize").

Re: Statement by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,UK

#369

Post by mooreds »

DoctorOetker wrote: post #355
EastLondonCoder wrote: post #252

This isn’t really about Greenland’s strategic value; it’s about the category error. You can trade goods, sign treaties, and negotiate basing rights. You can’t “buy” a people or their sovereignty especially when they don’t consent. That’s why Europe responds with process and principle: normalize coercion-as-bargaining among allies and you’re reviving a pre-1945 model of politics Europe built institutions to prevent. I…

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It seems there is a path to a referendum? https://www.voanews.com/a/greenland-unveils-draft-constituti...

Here's more on that constitution: https://www.naadsn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/26jan-2023-...

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