By Micah Jonah
January 9, 2026
The United States’ past proposal to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, has raised unprecedented questions for NATO, analysts say. The alliance, built on the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all, now confronts the unlikely scenario that one member could threaten another.
Christian Edwards, in a recent analysis, highlights how the episode exposes tensions between U.S. ambitions and the collective security framework of NATO.
While the proposal never materialized, it sparked debates over the limits of alliance cohesion, the challenges posed when national interests collide with collective defense commitments.
Experts warn that even symbolic threats within the alliance can strain trust, complicate coordination, and force NATO to rethink its response mechanisms in extreme scenarios.
