Donald Trump and Greenland on the map. Photo source: Dreamstime.com
The Danish government has instituted a “night patrol” at the Foreign Ministry, not to keep wilders and White Walkers at bay, like the Night Patrol in the “Game of Thrones” series, but to monitor Donald Trump's statements and movements regarding Greenland while Copenhagen sleeps, The Guardian reports.
The night round begins each day at the Danish MFA at 5:00 p.m. local time, and at 7:00 a.m. a report on what was said and what happened is drawn up and distributed to the Copenhagen government and relevant departments, according to local daily Politiken.
The night shift was reportedly introduced this spring amid diplomatic tensions between Copenhagen and Washington over Greenland, with the US president repeatedly saying he wants the US to take control of the Arctic island and not ruling out the use of coercion to that end.
Politiken notes that the initiative is one of many examples showing how Danish diplomacy and the country's civil service have had to adapt to the new reality of the second Trump administration.
A source close to the Foreign Office in Copenhagen told The Guardian: “It is fair to say that the situation in Greenland and the time zone difference between Denmark and the United States were quite important factors in the introduction of this measure during the spring.”
Instead of everyone immediately rushing to check their phones to catch up on US news, the State Department said it instead made a “collective effort” to stay up to date with Trump's actions.
Jacob Kaarsbo, a former chief analyst at the Danish military intelligence service, said the development shows that the idea that the US was Denmark's biggest and most important ally is dead.
“Alliances are built on shared values and a shared perception of threats,” Kaarsbo said. “Trump doesn't share any of that with us, and I'd argue he doesn't with most Europeans either,” he said.
PHOTO article: Dreamstime.com.
