The Danish government Sets Up Nighttime Monitoring System to Observe President Trump After Arctic Dispute
Taking action inspired by fictional watches, Denmark's foreign ministry has created a night watch unit—far from to fend off mythical foes, but to track the US president as Copenhagen is asleep.
This night watch begins at 5 p.m. local time daily and ends with a report compiled at 7 a.m., which is then distributed across government departments and relevant agencies covering statements made and developments that occurred.
This position is understood to have been introduced in the wake of the bilateral dispute involving Denmark and Washington over the Arctic island this spring, when the US president threatened acquiring control of the resource-rich territory.
Observers note that this measure is among several instances of how Danish diplomacy and its government administration have had to adapt to the new reality of the second Trump administration.
A source close to the foreign office remarked, “It's accurate to say that the situation in Greenland and the time zone gap between Denmark and the United States were a significant reason prompting this system in the earlier months.”
Instead of all staff having to immediately check their devices to catch up on news from the US, the ministry said it had made a collective effort to remain informed on Trump activities.
An expert, a former senior analyst at the Danish defence intelligence agency, stated that this move showed, “as long understood,” that the idea of the US as Denmark's largest and most important partner was no longer valid. “Alliances are founded on common values and a mutual view of threats,” Kaarsbo said. “Trump shares neither of those with Denmark and I would argue he lacks it with the majority of Europe.”
