The Nuuk Art Museum. Photo by Peter Løvstrøm via Flickr
I studied the classical philosophers in college, including Plato, Socrates and Aristotle.
But the most profound advice I’ve culled over a lifetime of scholarship has come from contemporary pop stars. The Beatles reminded me in a rather pithy way that “All You Need Is Love,” although I believe they might have stolen that from Jesus, or Burt Bacharach.
The Vogues taught me that it’s a “Five O’Clock World” and not to lose sight of life’s fleeting pleasures. Bobby Sherman advised me that material possessions are irrelevant, as they “Easy Come, Easy Go.”
Scott McKenzie convinced me not to go to San Francisco because it would make a mess of my hair, and the Hollies reinforced my belief that public transportation was not only indispensable, it might even lead to meeting my soulmate at the “Bus Stop.”
That same iconic group reminded me that even if he didn’t take Ozempic, he’s still my brother.
But the most important lesson I ever learned came from Mick Jagger, who told me in the clearest terms that “You Can’t Always Get What You Want, But You Get What You Need.” It has served me well over the years, especially since I am the eldest of five siblings and not accustomed to hearing the word “no.”
Fortunately for the international community, especially Denmark, I am not the president of the United States.
Yes, I’m talking about Greenland.
I have heard more about that island in the past few months than I have since my father passed away in 1982. I mention Ted Flowers because he was my first exposure to the giant hunk of ice which has, not coincidentally, rare earth minerals and oil as its more delightful attributes.
Daddy was stationed up in Thule for two years during the Cold War right after graduating high school in 1956. He was working at a NORAD location that was crucial to the allied ability to watch over the Soviets.
At that time, Greenland was, as it is now, “owned” by Denmark.
In fact, as of this past month, Greenland has been a part of the Kingdom of Denmark for 212 years.
This leads to the obvious conclusion that the Danes were always quite generous in allowing U.S. troops to use their territory to protect our shared security interests. They haven’t kicked us out or terminated our lease, as far as I know. We are not squatters seeking some bizarre sort of international adverse possession.
The other inescapable observation is that after 212 years, you’d think people would notice exactly who is the landlord here, and it’s not Uncle Sam. Unfortunately, that brings us back to Mick Jagger and now, Donald Trump.
President Trump wants Greenland.
He says it’s crucial to our national security interests, which is true.
Teddy Flowers could have told you that 70 years ago. But Trump isn’t interested in the sort of arrangement where we are welcome guests in someone else’s home. He wants the home.
He wants to evict the rightful owners, no matter how accommodating they have been. To use an analogy he might understand, the president wants to buy Boardwalk while playing Monopoly, even though it’s not his turn and somebody else already landed on it 212 years before.
Additionally, it’s not a stretch to think Trump cares at least as much about that oil and those mineral rights than he does about our national security.
That’s because Denmark has never denied us anything we have asked in terms of military support, and has been a staunch and humble ally. Treating it with such incredible disrespect indicates, with apologies to a famous Dane, that something is rotten and it ain’t in Denmark.
I have never made a secret of the fact that I am an internationalist or, as some of my more virulent right wing critics have called me, a globalist.
Those who know what I do for a living assume that I simply don’t care about national borders and don’t value our national interest as much as I do the universal community. That is not at all true, but it fits a tidy “America First” narrative. I actually very much believe in borders and sovereign rights.
That’s why I find it troubling that anyone believes Donald Trump can force a sovereign nation to give up its property, particularly through bribery. Offering to pay Greenlanders to become part of the U.S. is laughable, in the kindest interpretation.
Which brings me back to Mick Jagger.
The president needs to learn that he can’t always get what he wants, but he will indeed get what he needs, which is a lesson in what happens when you tell a sovereign European nation that you don’t give a damn about its borders.
This article was originally published in the Delco Times.
