Standing up for what we believe in

Only a couple of weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump's dangerous policies have made it necessary for Denmark to adjust its own foreign policy.

We suggest the following policy recommendations for the government to consider:

• Danish foreign policy priorities need to be reevaluated with less emphasis on the US and a stronger focus on multilateral cooperation’s, especially within the UN, Nordic and EU frameworks.  
• Denmark should withdraw from ongoing US led wars and not take part in future US military invasions. Furthermore, Denmark must fully abide by international law, and strongly object the use of torture. 
• In collaboration with Greenland, Denmark should revisit current arrangements regarding American access to the Thule military-base and consider how access to the base can be used in future negotiations with the US.
• Independently and through the EU, Denmark should put increased pressure on Donald Trump and demand that the US lives up to the commitments of the Paris-agreement on climate change.  At the same time, the EU must reinforce its role as a global leader on environmental issues.
• The upcoming Danish foreign policy strategy is expected to recommend that the United States remains the basic point of orientation for Danish foreign policy. This premise needs to be seriously reconsidered.

Following these recommendations would send a clear signal to Washington, but more importantly, it would ensure that our foreign policy serves Danish and global interests in the best possible way. We have previously proposed that Denmark contributes to the international abortion fund recently initiated by the Netherlands. The fund will support NGO’s which promote abortions rights and are now banned from receiving US funding.   

Furthermore, we encourage all Danes to resist in every way thinkable. It can be done on the social media, by participating in demonstrations or by boycotting firms with ties to Trump’s business enterprise. Both politically and as a civil society, we must reclaim our democratic authority and stand up for what we believe in.