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Notes -
I agree with the point about Trump commonly making things too intense and making fireworks out of things that didn't need to be. It'd be nice if we had a person who is as bold and determined, but more of a diplomat than a showman. But to be honest, he wasn't treated fairly either - the idea of buying the territory, while certainly bold, is not crazy or impossible at all, and Denmark already was well on the way of granting it independence anyway. I'm not sure that'd actually be the best - I think the current solution is actually better for the US, keeping all the benefits and minimum responsibility - but certainly wasn't completely nuts as it was presented.
Yes, I agree, I am actually in favor of America enlarging. And taking territory is in the end just that: a grab, whether naked or underhand, nice or rude. But there is a smart way to go about it. It's about psyops campaigns, it's about increasing relationships with Greenland, it's about intentionally having military bases and then encouraging marriage between American servicemen/women with Greenlanders, etc. it's about letting Greenlanders themselves thinking: "being an American isn't so bad". You know what I think is the most successful accidental example of this? Kosovo. Saving a population from ethnic cleansing, unsurprisingly, is very popular and I bet there is a sizable number of Kosovars who pray to be an American.
And yes, the disappointment is in expending so much energy and effort to get a mere update on an existing deal. Treated fairly or not, he's supposed to get the best deal for America, I don't think this was the best deal for America.
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