Trump's Greenland threats spark jitters
REYKJAVIK: US President Donald Trump's threats to take over Greenland have neighboring Iceland rethinking its long-term defense, currently provided by the United States and NATO as the volcanic island has no military of its own. Around 74 percent of Icelanders think Trump's interest in Greenland, and in the Arctic in general, pose a threat to their country, according to a recent poll by public broadcaster RUV. 'We can easily put ourselves in Greenlanders' shoes,' an Icelandic member of parliament for the governing Social Democrats, Dagur Eggertsson, told AFP.
The White House under Trump has not so far voiced any plans for Iceland, a subarctic island in the North Atlantic between the UK and Greenland and home to 390,000 people. Trump 'is threatening Greenland every day but doesn't say a thing about Iceland', said Valur Ingimundarson, a professor of contemporary history at the University of Iceland. He noted that while Iceland shares Greenland's geostrategic location, it does not possess the mineral riches believed to be hidden under Greenland's soil.
And like Greenland, Iceland has close military ties with the United States. Washington has guaranteed Iceland's defense since 1951 following an agreement between the two NATO members. During World War II, the Keflavik military base was a key US hub and it remained important to the alliance during the Cold War. The 1951 agreement enables the United States to maintain troops on the island but allows Iceland to set limits on the number of soldiers and to unilaterally cancel the agreement with 18 months' notice.
Subsea infrastructure
Although the United States officially closed the Keflavik base in 2006, it returned following Russia's 2014 invasion of Crimea. 'The US military base has not formally been reopened in Iceland, but American troops are here the whole year round, if on a rotational basis,' Ingimundarson said. At stake are underwater telecoms and energy infrastructure, at risk of potential Chinese or Russian sabotage. Beijing and Moscow have been increasingly active in the Arctic as climate change opens up sea routes. As a result, no one in Iceland has officially questioned the US presence or Reykjavik's military dependence on Washington. 'Iceland and the US have a longstanding and close relationship on security and defence matters, based on shared interest in the North Atlantic and the Arctic,' the foreign ministry told AFP.
'There is no reason to assume that this will change.' Establishing an Icelandic army has always been a taboo subject. 'If the government would put it on the agenda, it would result in a divisive public debate, with those opposing the idea most likely having the upper hand,' Ingimundarson said. Yet the tide appears to be gradually turning, said Eggertsson, the MP. 'We are in a time of transformation, where the clear vision from the post-World War years that Europe should not re-arm, but be provided defense under the NATO-US umbrella, is giving way,' he said.
Advocating a multilateral approach to security, Iceland is now shifting its gaze toward Europe as Trump casts US defense ties with NATO allies into doubt. Given the unpredictability of the Trump administration, 'we should have as a plan B (to) try to establish a close relationship with the EU,' Ingimundarson said. The foreign ministry has already made it clear that partnerships with the EU 'are expected to deepen further in the coming years'. 'Iceland would definitely support a European NATO if the United States would withdraw from the alliance,' Ingimundarson said.
That would be an 'easier option' than transferring European defence to the EU - of which Iceland is not a member. 'It wouldn't necessitate Iceland becoming an EU member, if it would seek to disentangle itself from the US,' he said.
Iceland launched EU membership negotiations in 2009 following its 2008 economic collapse. The talks were suspended in 2013, but a referendum on their resumption is due in 2027. EU membership would not just be about safeguarding the island's security. 'It is also about economic prosperity, low tariffs with our biggest trading partners, fisheries and more,' Eggertsson said. Fisheries policy would be the biggest stumbling block, with Iceland keen to retain total control over its lucrative fishing zones, a crucial pillar of its economy. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab Times
a day ago
- Arab Times
Trump announces travel ban and restrictions on 19 countries set to go into effect Monday
WASHINGTON, June 6, (AP): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday resurrected a hallmark policy of his first term, announcing that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. The ban takes effect Monday at 12:01 a.m., a cushion that may avoid the chaos that unfolded at airports nationwide when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice in 2017. Trump, who signaled plans for a new ban upon taking office in January, appears to be on firmer ground this time after the Supreme Court sided with him. Some, but not all, 12 countries also appeared on the list of banned countries in Trump's first term. The new ban includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. In a video released on social media, Trump tied the new ban to Sunday's terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. The suspect in the attack is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. The Department of Homeland Security says he overstayed a tourist visa. Trump said some countries had "deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. His findings rely extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of visa overstays of tourists, business visitors and students who arrive by air and sea, singling out countries with high percentages of remaining after their visas expired. "We don't want them,' Trump said. The inclusion of Afghanistan angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban makes exceptions for Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas, generally people who worked most closely with the U.S. government during the two-decade-long war there. Afghanistan was also one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with about 14,000 arrivals in a 12-month period through September 2024. Trump suspended refugee resettlement his first day in office. "To include Afghanistan - a nation whose people stood alongside American service members for 20 years - is a moral disgrace. It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold,' said Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac.
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
S Korea's leader vows to ‘heal wounds' with nuke-armed North
SEOUL: South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung vowed to reach out to the nuclear-armed North and 'heal wounds' as he took office Wednesday, after winning a snap election triggered by his predecessor's disastrous martial law declaration. South Korea's new center-left leader also warned that 'rising protectionism and supply chain restructuring' pose an existential threat to Asia's export-dependent fourth-largest economy, which has been buffeted by the global trade chaos sparked by US President Donald Trump. Lee scored a thumping victory over conservative Kim Moon-soo of the disgraced ex-president's former party. His term began immediately after the vote tally was certified Wednesday. Lee secured 49.4 percent of the vote, ahead of the 41.2 percent for Kim - who conceded, having been hampered by party infighting and a third-party candidate splitting the right-wing vote. Lee spoke to South Korea's top military commander and formally assumed operational control of the country's armed forces Wednesday, urging them to maintain 'readiness' in case of Pyongyang's provocations - but said in his first comments that he was ready to talk. 'We will heal the wounds of division and war and establish a future of peace and prosperity,' he said. 'No matter how costly, peace is better than war.' He said Seoul would 'deter North Korean nuclear and military provocations while opening communication channels and pursuing dialogue and cooperation to build peace on the Korean Peninsula'. Lee took office just hours before US tariffs on steel and aluminum were due to take effect, with the 50 percent levy hitting crucial South Korean exports. 'The rapid changes in the global order such as rising protectionism and supply chain restructuring pose a threat to our very survival,' Lee said. Markets reacted favorably to the election, with the benchmark KOSPI and the won rising Wednesday. 'Significant departure' Lee's comments on North Korea are a 'significant departure' from those of his hawkish predecessor as he did not immediately attach preconditions to dialogue, said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification. It signals 'his desire to resolve disagreements through talks', Hong told AFP. Lee held a modest inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly - where Yoon deployed armed troops on the night he attempted to suspend civilian rule. Lee also announced a number of top appointments, including long-time adviser Kim Min-seok as prime minister and former unification minister Lee Jong-seok as spy chief. Lee's day is expected to end with a flurry of congratulatory phone calls from world leaders, with Trump likely to be the first on the line. Trump's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, was swift to offer his own congratulations and voice hope for working with Lee, who previously sought greater distance from the United States. Washington's alliance with Seoul was 'ironclad', the US secretary of state said, citing 'shared values and deep economic ties'. In a statement, the White House described the election as 'free and fair'. But it added: 'The United States remains concerned and opposed to Chinese interference and influence in democracies around the world'. Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated Lee, while emphasizing the 'great importance to the development of China-South Korea relations'. 'The Chinese side is willing to work with the South Korean side to ... firmly maintain the direction of good-neighborly friendship, adhere to the goal of mutual benefit and win-win,' Xi said, according to state media CCTV. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also said he wanted to 'energize cooperation' between Seoul and Tokyo, South Korea's former colonial ruler. And India's Narendra Modi said on X he wanted to 'strengthen' ties with Seoul as he congratulated Lee. 'Positive direction' Lee comes to power with his party already holding a parliamentary majority - secure for the next three years - meaning he is likely to be able to get his legislative agenda done. On the streets of Seoul, South Koreans said they welcomed Lee's overtures to the North. 'Since our economy and many other aspects of society are closely linked to the state of inter-Korean relations, I hope we can take a long-term perspective and move in a more positive direction,' Choi Ki-ho, 55, told AFP. Lee Ju-yeon, a 42-year-old quasi-public sector employee, said they hoped Lee 'will devote himself to uniting our divided nation'. — AFP
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Coral-rich Greek archipelago hopes to gain from trawler ban
As a reddish dawn broke over the tiny, coral-rich Greek archipelago of Fournoi, Manolis Mytikas's wooden fishing boat slowly glided home, his nets almost empty. The modest catch nevertheless quickly drew several islanders in search of fresh fish, a rarity in past years in this island chain in the northeastern Aegean Sea, which has fewer than 1,500 inhabitants in total. 'Today, there were two of us heading out to sea, and we caught some fish by chance,' said the 76-year-old fisherman, his skin deeply tanned by the Mediterranean sun. 'Yesterday, we earned 30 euros ($34). The day before yesterday, not a penny. Sometimes, we don't even have enough to eat,' he told AFP. But things could be looking up for this small corner of the Aegean Sea. Last month, the Greek government banned bottom trawling in the waters around the archipelago, to protect a recent discovery of exceptionally rich coral reefs. Greece is also outlawing bottom trawling in national marine parks by 2026 and in all protected marine areas by 2030, the first country in Europe to take such a step. Fishing is generally allowed in protected marine areas worldwide, often even by trawlers, which scrape the seabed with a huge funnel-shaped net. 'Finally!' Mytikas exclaimed when told of the ban. 'They've ravaged the sea. They plough the seabed and destroy everything.' At the island port, his colleague Vaggelis Markakis, 58, compared trawlers to 'bulldozers'. 'If we stop them from coming here, our sea will come back to life,' Mytikas said. 'The sea will be filled with fish again.' Research conducted in this archipelago by the conservation groups Under the Pole, which organizes diving expeditions in extreme environments, and Archipelagos, in collaboration with European scientific institutions, has highlighted the existence of major underwater animal populations. At depths between 60 and 150 meters (around 200 to 500 feet), scientists have documented over 300 species living on the seabed under minimal light. Fishing trawlers docked with "doors" (heavy metal that widen the net opening) at the port of Nea Michaniona. Workers operate next to a fishing trawler docked with "doors" (heavy metal that widen the net opening). Fishing trawlers docked at the port of Nea Michaniona. This photograph shows corals in the deep sea off the coast of the Greek island of Fournoi. This photograph shows corals in the deep sea off the coast of the Greek island of Fournoi. 'Underwater forests' 'What we discovered is beyond imagination - vast coral reefs dating back thousands of years, still intact,' gushed Anastasia Miliou, scientific director of Archipelagos. The sea floor-dwelling species discovered include vibrantly red gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata) and black corals (Antipathella subpinnata). 'When these organisms occur at high densities, they form true underwater forests,' said Lorenzo Bramanti, a researcher at the CNRS Laboratory of Ecogeochemistry of Benthic Environments. But these habitats are extremely sensitive. 'A single trawl pass is enough to raze them,' warned Stelios Katsanevakis, professor of oceanography at the University of the Aegean. And the damage can be potentially irreversible, added Bramanti. 'Once destroyed, these forests may take decades or even centuries to recover,' said the marine scientist, who has worked on corals in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Pacific. 'No one doubts that cutting down a forest is an ecological disaster. The same is true for animal forests,' Bramanti said. Setting an example By banning bottom trawling around Fournoi, Bramanti hopes Greece will set an example for other Mediterranean countries, he said. 'We must act quickly, because these are among the last ecosystems still untouched by climate change,' given that they are located at depths greater than 70 meters, he said. 'And we risk losing them before we even truly understand them.' But the measure has left industrial fishing professionals fuming. HYT, There are around 220 bottom trawlers in Greece, and sector representatives complain restrictions on their activity are excessive 'We were not invited to any kind of discussion on this matter,' said Kostas Daoultzis, head of the trawler cooperative at the northern port of Nea Michaniona, one of the country's main fish markets. Daoultzis said the decisions were 'based on reports from volunteer organizations lacking scientific backing'. He said trawlers already avoid coral areas, which can damage their equipment. Fournoi fishermen counter that trawlers do fish in their waters, but turn off their tracking systems to avoid detection. Under pressure globally, trawling is likely to be on the agenda at a United Nations Ocean Conference next week in the French city of Nice. Daoultzis said he fears for the survival of his profession. 'Our fishing spaces keep shrinking. Our activity is under threat, and consumers will suffer - fish prices will skyrocket,' he warned. - AFP
