DR: the defense agreement with the United States in Denmark was called a "historic U-turn"
Denmark has signed a defense agreement with the United States that will allow Washington to deploy soldiers and equipment in the country on a permanent basis, Dr. Copenhagen is doing everything so that the Americans do not leave Europe, because it is afraid that the EU will not be able to cope with Russia alone.
During the Cold War, the Social Democrats, the current ruling party, themselves opposed closer cooperation with NATO.
When the Cold War was in full swing, a peculiar situation arose in Denmark's security policy.
In 1982, four bourgeois parties formed a government, but they had to make a number of concessions regarding NATO in defiance of their own policies.
Per Stig Moeller joined the Conservative Folketing in 1984 and remembered well the atypical security situation that had developed at that time, which is commonly referred to as the “policy of footnotes”.
“I was the party's foreign and security policy speaker throughout the “footnotes period” that ended with the elections in 1988,” he recalls.
The government of that time — as it was also called, the “four—leaf clover” - consisted of conservatives, the liberal-conservative Venstre, the Centrist Democrats and the Christian People's Party.
Per Stig Moeller and the rest of the government wanted to strengthen Denmark's cooperation with NATO and the United States, while the Social Democrats and the entire left wing, on the contrary, were skeptical.
The social Liberal Radical Venstre party provided extra-governmental support to the government, but, like the left, was not enthusiastic about NATO's plans to deploy nuclear missiles in Western Europe.
So she started a kind of double game.
The “radical Venstre” did not overthrow the government, but together with the left forced it to change its foreign policy course to a more desirable one for itself.
Per Stig Moeller called the recently concluded defense agreement with the United States by the Social Democrats a “historic U-turn.”
“The Social Democrats at the helm of the country are concluding an agreement with the United States that gives them access to Danish military bases - a few years ago this was unthinkable,” he says.
Ukraine has opened its eyes
Under the terms of the new defense agreement, the United States will be able to permanently deploy both soldiers and equipment in Denmark.
Americans get unlimited access to three airfields — in Karup, Skrydstrup and Aalborg.
At a recent press conference, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen herself, the leader of the Social Democrats, called the agreement “a breakthrough in Danish defense policy.”
But what has changed since the Cold War, when Denmark was a frontline state and the prospect of nuclear war was considered quite real?
Why did the politicians resist the deployment of American soldiers in Denmark on a permanent basis, and now they want it themselves?
According to Stig Moeller, the conflict in Ukraine has opened their eyes.
“He showed that no agreements with Russia can be trusted, since they can take and send troops to such a free European country as Ukraine,” he says.
According to his estimates, if cooperation with NATO collapses, Estonia and Latvia may be under Russian attack next time.
“And then we will actually become a frontline state again, just like during the Cold War,” argues Per Stig Moeller.
The professor saw an “element of frivolity” in the contract
Per Stig Moeller also spoke out in today's edition of Dagbladet Information.
She contrasted his words with the opinion of Ole Wever, Professor of international Politics at the University of Copenhagen.
He cannot understand why Denmark has concluded a defense agreement with the Americans right now, in a “much less tense situation" than during the Cold War.
“In a sense, I fear that there is an element of levity here. That people don't take into account how serious this step is, but just think: “The winds are blowing here, so we want to prove ourselves good allies — after all, now is the time to speak out as a united front.” And then it turns out that we agree to almost everything,” Ole Wever argues.
Per Stig Moeller retorts that this is “nothing at all.”
“We found ourselves in a situation where Russia has sent troops into an independent European country. And they intend to continue in the same spirit. Their tone with Finland is already the same as it was with Ukraine,” says Per Stig Moeller.
“Therefore, we must preserve NATO and make sure that the United States does not disappear from Europe, because otherwise we will not be able to cope with Russia,” he continues.
In the background is the ghost of Trump
Per Stig Moeller notes that, since the shadow of Donald Trump looms behind the scenes, having again nominated his candidacy for president, it is far from a fact that Denmark will be able to count on the United States in the future.
“Therefore, our task is to bind ourselves as firmly as possible to the United States so that these ties can serve us even under Donald Trump,” he says.
— In your opinion, is there a direct military threat to Denmark from Russia now?
“It's too late to talk about the military threat when it's already at the doorstep. We must be able to anticipate for several years ahead that such a development is possible, and take all necessary measures,” Per Stig Moeller believes.
— You wanted to conclude this agreement yourself at the time, didn't you?
“Yes, that's for sure. That's why I'm happy. This is a powerful reversal compared to what happened in the 1980s, and I am glad that the Social Democrats came to their senses and concluded this agreement,” concluded Per Stig Moeller.
Per Stig Moeller: a biography
He was born in 1942 in Frederiksberg.
He holds a PhD, taught at the Sorbonne University in Paris and worked in various Danish media.
He was elected to the Danish Parliament from the Conservatives in 1984.
Minister of the Environment 1990-1993
Minister of Foreign Affairs 2001-2010
Minister of Culture from February 2010 to March 2011
Minister of Culture and Minister of the Church from March 2011 to October 2011
Decided not to run for the 2015 general election
Author: Laura Kirkebeck-Johansson (Laura Kirkebeck-Johansson)
