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Greenland sale dispute

Aug 22,2019 - Last updated at Aug 22,2019

Which country leader in this time and age would seriously offer to buy the territory of another sovereign country except President Donald Trump, who is already an established maverick.

President Trump did exactly that when, with all seriousness, he made an offer to Denmark on the eve of his state visit to the country for talks with Queen Margrethe II and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to purchase Greenland!

Of course, Danish leaders did not know whether to laugh or cry at the mere thought of Trump's bid to buy the self-ruled island called Greenland. The Danish prime minister quickly told Trump that "Greenland is not for sale!" Of course Trump got all upset for frustrating his design on the island and postponed his already planned visit to the country.

The issue here is whether in this time and age there are still leaders who seriously contemplate purchasing territories belonging to other sovereign nations. True there is a precedent when, in 1803, the US bought 1,323.200 sq.km of the land west of the Mississippi River from France for $15 million. But that was centuries ago, and even then the deal was viewed with suspicion.

For President Trump to duplicate a similar deal in 2019 is simply preposterous to say the least.

President Trump still thinks he is the head of a macro real estate agency looking for lucrative real estate deals in Manhattan or Miami or anywhere else in the US. For Trump to even think about such a deal now defies logic and common sense.

Fortunately, Denmark quickly rebuffed Trump's strange offer and told him in so many words that in this time and age there are no countries for sale.

What is bizarre is the silence of the other branches of government in the US, including high officials, who did not voice their concern about the offer to buy a part of another country.

One would have thought there would be a widespread outcry against Trump's offer since it reflects badly not only on President Trump but also on the entire nation.

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