As an American with Danish and Indian heritage, living in France as a European citizen, I'm deeply unsettled by the Trump administration's blatant disregard for international law. The President's assertion that he doesn't need the rule of law is a chilling reminder of history's most egregious imperialists. For Louis XIV, it was "L'état, c'est moi" – an absolute monarch's power over his domain. Now, with Trump, it's the "Donroe doctrine," where the Western Hemisphere is seen as a personal playground for his elite cohorts to exploit.
Trump's unapologetic enthusiasm for plunder is unnerving, especially when contrasted with America's long-held ideals of democracy and human rights. The world hasn't seen this level of unabashed pursuit of wealth since the British East India Company. It's a disturbing echo of Denmark's own colonial past, where Indian Tamils were trafficked as enslaved servants, and Danish Lutheran missionaries forcibly converted Greenlandic natives to Christianity.
My Danish-American mother may be descended from "righteous" immigrants – white, Protestant northern Europeans – but I feel the anguish of my Danish cousins in Denmark, who are dismayed by America's rejection of its most loyal ally. As a French citizen, I'd like to sing the Marseillaise with tears in my eyes, protesting against American fascism, not the Nazis.
Trump's policies disproportionately affect immigrants of color, including those from India. My 95-year-old father, a naturalized US citizen since the 1960s and an aeronautical engineer who worked on the Apollo mission, is terrified that ICE will deport him due to his skin color. This is the kind of fear Trump wants to spread across Europe – a fear of persecution based on skin tone.
Denmark's history with Greenland and its indigenous people is no less egregious than America's treatment of Native Americans under "manifest destiny." The Danish government's claim to sovereignty over Greenland, once a territory sold to the US, is now being threatened by Trump's ICE units. This is a classic land deal between an imperial power and a smaller one – only this time, it's a new kind of imperialism.
The European court of justice has ruled that Denmark's "ghetto law" may be illegal under EU law. Yet, this draconian policy aims to expel unwanted immigrants, which sounds eerily familiar in Trump's America. If we want to preserve the rule of law and our values, we must be prepared to defend it against the likes of Trump.
Trump's unapologetic enthusiasm for plunder is unnerving, especially when contrasted with America's long-held ideals of democracy and human rights. The world hasn't seen this level of unabashed pursuit of wealth since the British East India Company. It's a disturbing echo of Denmark's own colonial past, where Indian Tamils were trafficked as enslaved servants, and Danish Lutheran missionaries forcibly converted Greenlandic natives to Christianity.
My Danish-American mother may be descended from "righteous" immigrants – white, Protestant northern Europeans – but I feel the anguish of my Danish cousins in Denmark, who are dismayed by America's rejection of its most loyal ally. As a French citizen, I'd like to sing the Marseillaise with tears in my eyes, protesting against American fascism, not the Nazis.
Trump's policies disproportionately affect immigrants of color, including those from India. My 95-year-old father, a naturalized US citizen since the 1960s and an aeronautical engineer who worked on the Apollo mission, is terrified that ICE will deport him due to his skin color. This is the kind of fear Trump wants to spread across Europe – a fear of persecution based on skin tone.
Denmark's history with Greenland and its indigenous people is no less egregious than America's treatment of Native Americans under "manifest destiny." The Danish government's claim to sovereignty over Greenland, once a territory sold to the US, is now being threatened by Trump's ICE units. This is a classic land deal between an imperial power and a smaller one – only this time, it's a new kind of imperialism.
The European court of justice has ruled that Denmark's "ghetto law" may be illegal under EU law. Yet, this draconian policy aims to expel unwanted immigrants, which sounds eerily familiar in Trump's America. If we want to preserve the rule of law and our values, we must be prepared to defend it against the likes of Trump.