India along with several countries denounced the US’s action on the Latin American country, Venezuela, which faced unprecedented ignominy when its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were abducted by American special forces and taken to New York for trial in a blatant violation of the international law.
Immediately after this shocking incident, wife of President Trump’s close adviser Stephen Miller, Katie Miller, who is a podcaster, posted on social media a map of Greenland covered by the American flag and accompanied by a word “SOON”. Even as it sparked reactions across Europe, the White House said President Trump was considering various options over Greenland, including military action.
It was essentially unconcealed arrogance and Trump made it clear, in an interview with The New York Times, that nothing short of “ownership” of Greenland would satisfy him. He also said that the US would rule Venezuela for as long as he wished, possibly for years.
In all, he did not shy away from expressing his view about US’s power under his administration. He said he was no more constrained by any international law or norms or system of checks and balances. For him, sovereignty belongs not to states or people, but to whoever is strong enough to seize it. In essence, his world view moves around ‘might is right’ doctrine, and in pursuing it he shows no compunction or moral restraint of any kind.
For the world, however, it is deeply alarming. And, it is apparent from the tone and tenor of several international leaders, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French President Emmanuel Macron. The German President said, “US is destroying the world order. There is also indeed a break in values of our most important partner, the USA, which helped build this order and, above all, significantly shaped it over decades.”
Similarly, French President Emmanuel Macron was unrestrained in his condemnation against the Trump-led US administration. He said his country “rejects the new colonialism and new imperialism—but also vassalage and defeatism. What we have achieved for France and in Europe is a step in the right direction. Greater strategic autonomy, less dependence on the US and China.”
Reason behind Maduro’s abduction
Such reactions show these European leaders are rattled by the US action in Venezuela, a sovereign country whose President Maduro was abducted by the Trump administration more because of the resource-rich South American country’s oil and critical minerals than anything else. US President Trump has himself said that the US will take control of Venezuela’s massive oil reserves and make American companies invest in the South American country’s oil industry.
India along with several countries denounced the US’s action on the Latin American country, Venezuela, which faced unprecedented ignominy when its President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were abducted by American special forces and taken to New York for trial in a blatant violation of the international law
Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, estimated at 303 billion barrels as of 2023—more than five times the amount the US has, which is 55.25 billion barrels. Oil reserves in Venezuela are largely located in the Orinoco Belt, which lies in the eastern part of the region. These oil reserves are controlled by Venezuela’s state-backed oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Venezuela produced an average of 952,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2024, compared to 783,000 bpd in 2023, as per OPEC.
Besides, Venezuela has a vast reserve of natural gas. It ranks ninth in the world for natural gas reserves. As per the International Energy Agency, Venezuela’s natural gas deposits totalled around 5.5 trillion cubic meters in 2023, accounting for 73% of the total natural gas reserves in South America.
Significantly, Venezuela also possesses the largest gold reserves in South America. As per the World’s Gold Council, Venezuela’s official gold reserves are approximately 161.2 metric tonnes, worth more than $23 billion in the international market. It is also believed to have a significant amount of untapped gold resources. Additionally, it has 3 billion metric tonnes coal reserves, 14.68 billion metric tonnes of iron ore – of which 3.6 billion are proven, 407,885 metric tonnes of nickel reserves, bauxite reserves amounting to around 99.4 million metric tonnes and diamonds amounting to 1,295 million carats.
Instead of telling the truth, the Trump administration officials say the operation against Maduro was undertaken to stymie drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. They are not saying why the elected President of Venezuela was not tried in his own country and according to its own law, instead of bringing him and his wife to New York to face trial. Nonetheless the US’s action in Venezuela has created turmoil in the world. Europe, in particular, is not able to reconcile with Trump’s overt threat to Greenland.
Trump’s Greenland obsession
As per Daily Mail, President Trump has ordered special forces commanders to draw up a plan to invade Greenland. The British daily further said that President Trump is being assisted by his political advisor Stephen Miller in drawing up the plan to invade Greenland.
Earlier, while hosting CEOs of American oil and gas companies at the White House, Trump asserted that the US would be taking over Greenland “whether they like it or not.” Afterall, why does Trump want to seize Greenland, which is a sovereign territory of Denmark, a fellow NATO country of which the US is a member?
Trump did not shy away from expressing his view about US’s power under his administration. He said he was no more constrained by any international law or norms or system of checks and balances. For him, sovereignty belongs not to states or people, but to whoever is strong enough to seize it. In essence, his world view moves around ‘might is right’ doctrine, and in pursuing it he shows no compunction or moral restraint of any kind
Located strategically between North America and the Arctic, Greenland is well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks, and for monitoring ships in the region. It has hosted a military base for the US since World War II. However, during World War II, the US operated 15 military bases in Greenland. They were established following an agreement with Denmark, which wanted American troops’ presence in Greenland to protect it from German occupation.
In 1951, Denmark and the US signed a treaty guaranteeing common defence of Greenland, which continues even today. Currently, the US operates only one base in Greenland with around 200 soldiers stationed there. Trump repeatedly says the US needs to take over Greenland to prevent it from being usurped by Russia and China.
Moscow has not issued any statement on the Greenland issue. But it has long-standing geopolitical, economic, and strategic interests in the region. Firstly, as the largest Arctic nation, Russia enjoys 53% of the Arctic Ocean coastline—facilitating a major shipping route for Moscow between Europe and Asia.
Secondly, the Arctic serves as a major driver for the Russian economy, investment, and jobs as a significant number of oil, gas, and mineral extraction industries are based in the region.
In addition, Russia has a number of military bases and airfields in the region. Russia also has its sea-based nuclear missiles facility in the Arctic. Given this, Russia’s interests in the Arctic would be impacted if the US takes over Greenland. But such a move would lead to destruction of NATO—something Russia would prefer.
Already, there is fear that the US move could spark a transatlantic crisis and would lead to the Trump administration stopping its support for Ukraine. That means Trump’s seizure of Greenland would serve as a blessing in disguise for Russia. This is the reason Moscow has not issued any statement on Trump’s planned invasion of Greenland.
On the other hand, Beijing has decided not to keep silent when the US cites Chinese threat as the reason for its planned invasion of Greenland. “We urge the US side to stop using the so-called Chinese threat as a tool for its own benefit,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said.
European nations have also torn asunder Trump’s claims of Russian and Chinese ships operating near Greenland. They have clearly maintained that no Russian or Chinese ships have been seen in recent years around Greenland.
European leaders are rattled by the US action in Venezuela, a sovereign country whose President Maduro was abducted by the Trump administration more because of the resource-rich South American country’s oil and critical minerals than anything else. US President Trump has himself said that the US will take control of Venezuela’s massive oil reserves and make American companies invest in the South American country’s oil industry
“It is simply not true that the Chinese and Russians are there. I have seen the intelligence. There are no ships, no submarines,” a senior diplomat from a Nordic nation was quoted by Financial Times as saying.
Another diplomat from a different Nordic nation was also quoted as stating that “the idea that the waters around Greenland are crawling with Russian and Chinese ships or submarines is just not true. They are in the Arctic, yes, but on the Russian side.”
Overall, Venezuelan President’s abduction and the overt threat to seize Greenland speak volumes about President Trump’s foreign policy approach, which openly disregards international law and treats sovereignty and alliances as obstacles to the exercise of raw power. If left unchecked, such foreign policy approach will not only erode the foundational principles of international relations, but also make the world more dangerous and volatile.
–The writer is a senior journalist with wide experience in covering international affairs. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
