Photo: Boots on the ground… or on the ice… in Greenland.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke for about half an hour at the World Economic Forum on January 20, and I watched the whole speech online, hoping that he might tell a joke like French President Emmanuel Macron did at the beginning of his speech at the same gathering on January 20.
Mr. Carney steered clear of humor for the most part. But about halfway into his speech, he was talking about his country’s intention to stand firmly with Denmark and Greenland to help protect Greenland’s sovereignty. This pledge generated a bit of applause from the otherwise-quiet audience, who — if I know anything about audiences these days — were probably checking their social media accounts for funny cat videos.
Mr. Carney continued speaking from the Davos podium:
“Our commitment to NATO’s Article 5 is unwavering. So we’re working with our NATO allies, including the Baltic Eight, to further secure the alliance’s northern and western flanks, including through Canada’s unprecedented investments in over-the-horizon radar, in submarines, in aircraft, and boots on the ground…”
He then cocked his head slightly and a faint smirk appeared on his face. He said off-handedly:
“Boots on the ice.”
His little joke didn’t get a laugh, however… except maybe from people like me watching the video for its pure entertainment value.
This was of course a reference to the fact that Greenland is covered in ice. In some places the ice is 2 miles thick. This creates certain disadvantages for the people trying to live there, but it’s always easy to keep your beer cold.
I have never tried to do standup comedy, but I imagine it’s something you really have to work hard at. Mr. Carney should stick to being a Prime Minister.
As we all know, or should know, Canada shares the longest international border in the world with the United States of America, a country known for throwing its weigh around. And the U.S. has a lot of weight to throw around. I came across a report last week claiming that 40% of U.S. adults are obese. But the U.S. also has political, economic, and military weight to throw around. As we all know.
And as Prime Minister Mark Carney knows better than the rest of us.
Actually, there are two separate borders between Canada and the U.S. and you have to count them both to claim “the longest international border”.
One border 3,987 miles long, marks the boundary between the ‘Lower 48’ and the southern parts of Canada. It was negotiated in 1783, right after the United States won the Revolutionary War.
The other border is 1,538 miles long and separates Canada from the state of Alaska. I have no idea when that border was surveyed — presumably sometime after Alaska was purchased by the U.S. in 1867 — but I hope the surveyors were dressed warm.
The U.S. has a lot of weight to throw around. I came across a report last week claiming that 40% of U.S. adults are obese. But the U.S. also has political, economic and military weight to throw around. As we all know.
A number of politicians made speeches in Davos last week, including President Donald Trump, who has made certain comments that have led Canada to make unprecedented investments in over-the-horizon radar, in submarines, in aircraft, and boots on the ice. Some of the comments have indicated President Trumps interest in buying Greenland, and he repeated a few such comments in Davos last week.
Donald Trump has bought and sold more than his share of real estate during his 79 years, but this would be one of the larger acquisitions.
A few of his comments at Davos:
“It’s the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice; develop it and improve it and make it so that it’s good for Europe, and safe for Europe, and good for us. And that’s the reason I’m seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.
“Just as we have acquired many other territories throughout our history, as many of the European nations have.
“There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Unfortunately for President Trump and his supporters, the United States did something rather unprecedented in 1776 that raised serious questions about European nations ‘acquiring’ territories. Certain American colonists published a letter to King George III that made an uncomfortable assertion:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights… That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…
The core of this argument seems to be, that ‘the people being governed’ have a God-given unalienable Right to choose their own government.
The United States — once it became independent of Great Britain — sort of forgot about this unalienable Right, and proceeded to “acquire” territories here and there, without showing the slightest interest in getting permission from the people living in those territories. The “acquired” territories included most of the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, numerous islands in the Pacific and Caribbean Sea, and a slice of Panama.
In a few cases, the U.S. “bought” these new territories for cash, but in many instances simply planted a flag. The unalienable Rights of the inhabitants? Who ever heard of such a thing?
“Buying territories” has sort of gone out of fashion, however. Acquiring territories these days usually requires a military conquest. Just like in the old days. European nations did a lot of “acquiring territories” during the past 3,000 years, but they’ve let go of almost all of them outside of Europe itself.
Some people think the people being governed are endowed by their Creator with an unalienable Right to choose their government.
President Trump doesn’t seem to be one of those people. But what else would we expect from a real estate developer?
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.