Legal Obstacles to U.S. Acquisition of Greenland

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

65% : Article 1(2) of the UN Charter recognizes the principle, which also plays a prominent role in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
62% : European Union leaders likewise pointed to "territorial integrity and sovereignty," confirming the "EU stands in full sovereignty with Denmark and the people of Greenland."
56% : They emphasized that all NATO Allies were obligated to "uphold the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders.
56% : It provides, By virtue of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, all peoples have the right freely to determine, without external interference, their political status and to pursue their economic, social and cultural development, and every State has the duty to respect this right in accordance with the provisions of the Charter.
55% : More significantly, as noted by the ICJ, Article 11 reflects the customary law principle of non-recognition, which would bind all States from recognizing the U.S. action. UN organs, with the support of the United States, have likewise emphasized the obligation not to recognize unlawful seizure of territory.
55% : As such, it is subject to the decolonization principles outlined in the 1960 UN General Assembly Resolution 1541(XV).
50% : Subsequently, Denmark listed Greenland as a non-self-governing territory under Chapter XI of the UN Charter.
44% : As we explained in an earlier Just Security article, "Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and customary law prohibit States from even threatening to use force unlawfully if the threats are communicated to the threatened State, coercive, and capable of being carried out."
42% : Most notably, Article 2(4) of the UN Charter addresses the issue head-on: "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations" (emphasis added).
42% : While self-defense is a "circumstance precluding the wrongfulness" of a use of force under Article 51 of the UN Charter (Articles on State Responsibility, art.
38% : Article 52 of the instrument provides, "A treaty is void if its conclusion has been procured by the threat or use of force in violation of the principles of international law embodied in the Charter of the United Nations.
34% : That attempt remains ongoing but has been resoundingly and repeatedly rejected by the United States, the United Nations General Assembly (but not the Security Council due to Russia's veto), the European Union, notable international law associations, and scholars.
33% : I won't use force" - while still insisting that the United States must acquire the territory, stating: We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won't give it.

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