TRUMP - AFTER DAVOS ....

 EFTER DAVOS …

Det var noget af en oplevelse af høre Mr. Trump i Davos i går ☹   Jeg vil ikke kalde det en tale.  Det var en samling af ord – serveret i løbet af 72 minutter.  Magen til vrøvl og vås skal man lede længe efter.  Vi holdt ud hele vejen igen – med håb om, at der måske kom noget fornuft. Men det blev ved gemen selvros, løgnagtigheder, vrøvl, fornærmelser og – ja, sammenblanding af flere lande såsom Grønland og Island ☹  

Et par af de værste påstande bliver jeg nødt til at gribe fat i med det samme:

1.      NATO:  Trump påstod, at USA stort set har betalt det hele – og ikke fået noget tilbage. Fakta er:  De forskellige landes forsvarsudgifter betales IKKE til NATO. Det er deres egne udgifter, betalt til deres eget forsvar.   Heller ikke USA betaler derfor til NATO ( bortset fra de små driftsudgifter til organisationen, som alle 32 medlemmer naturligvis deles om ).

2.      Europas forsvar: Igen – Trump lod forstå, at USA betaler stort set det hele. Europæerne betaler ikke noget.  Vrøvl!  Dels betaler hver især sit eget forsvar. Og dertil kommer, at Tyskland betaler milliarder til USA for de amerikanske styrker, der er i Tyskland. Der er i dag 24.000 amerikanske soldater i Tyskland. De betales af de tyske skatteydere.   Om det er samme ordning i de andre europæiske lande, hvor USA har tropper, ved jeg ikke. Det er f.eks. i Italien, Rumænien, Polen, Spanien og Storbritannien.  Det kan meget vel tænkes, at landene også må betale i hvert fald en del for dem.

3.      De samlede forsvarsudgifter:   Trump lagde vægt på, at USA betaler kæmpesummer for forsvaret ( til deres krigs-ministeriem, som han nu kalder deres forsvarsministerium ). Op imod 5 % af BNP.  Derimod betaler de europæiske lande meget mindre. 

Altså to hårde facts:   Aftalen i NATO siden Cardiff topmødet i 2014 er, at hvert land skal bruge mindst 2 % af BNP.  Javel, det er ikke alle, der gør det endnu. Men der er en aftale om, at dette tal skal stige overalt på grund af den internationale situation.  Og mange NATO lande er godt på vej.   Og det andet meget vigtige punkt er, at USA har valgt at have militære aktiviteter og tilstedeværelse over det meste af kloden.   Det er deres valg.  NATO dækker det nordatlantiske og europæiske område. Derfor er der brug for mindre militær end USA. 

4.      Grønland:  Trumps påstand er, at USA ”havde” Grønland under 2. verdenskrig og byggede et forsvar op i hele landet.  Og at det var DUMPT af amerikanerne at give det tilbage til Danmark efter 1945”.  Vrøvl! Grønland har altid været dansk, også under 2. verdenskrig.  Men da Danmark var besat af tyskerne fra 1940-45, bad USA om at måtte bruge Grønland til bl.a. at færge militært materiel til Europa under krigen. Og det sagde den danske ambassadør Henrik Kaufmann i Washington ja til.  Ligesom englænderne tog sig af forsvaret af Færøerne og Island under krigen.  Og briterne har aldrig opfattet dette som et ejerskab at disse dele af det danske rige.  Og det har amerikanerne heller ikke før Trump.

5.      Der er meget andet i den såkaldte tale, som egentlig kræver en alvorlig kommentar. Men lad det nu være.   Nu venter vi bl.a. på resultatet af det europæiske topmøde i aften.  Og på en opklaring af, hvad det egentlig er, Trump og Mark Rutte har aftalt i går.  Og selv om det bliver oplyst, så ændres det sikkert igen senest i morgen - af Mr. Trump.

6.      Må jeg i stedet anbefale jer at læse den glimrende tale, som den canadiske premierminister Mark Carney holdt i Davos.   Den er fremragende – og giver håb om, at vi sammen finder en ny og bedre måde at holde sammen på.

I kan finde talen her:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btqHDhO4h10

 

Niels Jørgen Thøgersen -    22 01 2026

e-mail:  niels4europe@gmail.com 

 

 

AFTER DAVOS …

It was quite an experience to hear Mr. Trump in Davos yesterday ☹ I wouldn't call it a speech. It was a collection of words – served up over the course of 72 minutes. You have to look for nonsense and nonsense for a long time. We persevered all the way again – with the hope that maybe some sense would come. But it ended up with common self-praise, lies, nonsense, insults and – yes, mixing up several countries such as Greenland and Iceland ☹

I will have to address a few of the worst claims right away:

1.      NATO: Trump claimed that the US has paid for almost everything – and has received nothing in return. The facts are: The various countries' defense expenditures are NOT paid to NATO. They are their own expenses, paid for their own defense. The US therefore does not pay to NATO either (except for the small operating expenses for the organization, which all 32 members naturally share).

2.      Europe's defense: Again – Trump implied that the United States pays for almost everything. The Europeans pay nothing. Nonsense! First, each pays for its own defense. And on top of that, Germany pays billions to the United States for the American forces in Germany. There are currently 24,000 American soldiers in Germany. They are paid for by German taxpayers. I don't know if the same arrangement applies in the other European countries where the United States has troops. For example, in Italy, Romania, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom. It is quite possible that the countries also have to pay at least some of it for them.

3.      Total defense spending: Trump emphasized that the United States pays huge sums for defense (to their War Department, which he now calls their defense department). Up to 5% of GDP. In contrast, European countries pay much less. 

So, two hard facts: The agreement in NATO since the NATO Cardiff summit in 2014 is that each country must spend at least 2% of GDP by 2024. Well, not everyone is doing it yet. But there is an agreement that this figure must increase everywhere due to the international situation. And many NATO countries are well on their way. And the second very important point is that the United States has chosen to have military activities and presence over most of the globe. That is their choice. NATO covers the North Atlantic and European area. Therefore, less military is needed than the United States.

4.      Greenland: Trump's claim is that the US "had" Greenland during World War II and built up a defense throughout the country. And that it was DUMPT of the Americans to give it back to Denmark after 1945". Nonsense! Greenland has always been Danish, including during World War II. But when Denmark was occupied by the Germans from 1940-45, the US asked to be allowed to use Greenland to ferry military equipment to Europe during the war. And the Danish ambassador Henrik Kaufmann in Washington said yes. Just as the British took care of the defense of the Faroe Islands and Iceland during the war. And the British have never perceived this as ownership of these parts of the Danish kingdom. And neither have the Americans before Trump.

5.      There is much else in the so-called speech that actually requires serious comment. But let's leave it at that. Now we are waiting, among other things, for the result of the European summit tonight. And for a clarification of what it is that Trump and Mark Rutte actually agreed on yesterday. And even if it is clarified, it will probably be changed again by tomorrow at the latest - by Mr. Trump.

6.      May I instead recommend that you read the excellent speech that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gave in Davos. It is excellent - and gives hope that together we will find a new and better way to stick together.

You can find the speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btqHDhO4h10