The illustration of Greenland posted to X by Katie Miller (wife of Trump aide Stephen Miller)
Foreign Policy Brief #225 | Abran C. | January 19, 2026
Europe sends troops to Greenland to counter the US
European troops have begun arriving in Greenland last week in a show of support to Denmark, as leaders attempt to respond to President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland. Trump recently announced he would be putting extra tariffs on any European states that opposed the US in acquiring Greenland. A small French military contingent along with limited deployment, which also involves Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK. Denmark, which is a NATO ally, would be obligated to come to the island’s defense were the US to invade. Greenland as a territory of Denmark is technically EU territory and would likely pull other European states into the conflict against the US. The Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that the United States attempting to seize Greenland would “mark the end of NATO”. Greenlanders have repeatedly expressed their refusal to be part of the US, with 85% of the population rejecting the idea, according to a 2025 poll.
Additionally and often overlooked, billionaires like Peter Thiel, Ronald Lauder, Ken Howery (the US ambassador to Denmark), Bill Gates, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, see Greenland as a source of rare earths, land for data centers and a laboratory for their techo-libertarian economic experiments. Some of these tech-billionaires have envisioned unregulated “freedom cities” in Greenland, free from any democratic oversight, environmental laws, and labor protection laws.
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
Protests in Iran
For over 20 days now nationwide protests have swept across Iran. The protests began over widespread and increasing discontent over the country’s faltering economy and the collapse of its currency the Rial. While the initial focus was on issues like spikes in the prices of food and the country’s sky high annual inflation rate, protesters have now begun chanting anti-government statements as well. Iran has shut down the internet over large parts of the country, and accurate information has been difficult to get. Reports in the media of protestors being killed have ranged in the dozens, thousands, and even tens of thousands. In reality there are no concrete numbers as to just how many have been arrested or killed and will likely not be available until protests have ended and internet access is restored.
US President Donald Trump has warned of “very strong action” against Iran, using backing protestors as the basis for a possible attack. His administration also announced a new 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran. Trump said he thought it was “a good idea” for Americans to evacuate from Iran and The State Department put out a statement saying that all US citizens should leave the country. Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is based in the US, has appealed to Trump to militarily intervene in the country in order for him to take control. Meanwhile, Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Turkey warned and lobbied Trump against strikes on Iran for fears that it would lead to major regional conflict. It is unclear whether their lobbying will cause the US to refrain from carrying out strikes or only delay the now expected attack.
UNICEF/Mohammed Jamal A woman searches through the burnt remains of her shelter at a displacement camp in Darfur, Sudan.
Update: Civil war in Sudan
Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris, has announced the government’s return to Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from its wartime capital of Port Sudan. The government has pursued a gradual return to the capital after the army recaptured the city in March 2025. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and military rivals the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been in a brutal battle for power since mid-April 2023, creating the world’s largest humanitarian and refugee crisis. The fighting has forced nearly 12 million people to flee their homes and seek safety either elsewhere in Sudan or across the border. Additionally, more than 21 millionpeople are suffering from malnutrition and famine has been confirmed in parts of the country where humanitarian aid is unable to enter.
The UN’s World Food Programme recently issued a plea for $700m to fund its work in Sudan. The organization’s request is needed to prevent what it says is the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis from getting worse. Sudan peace efforts are being carried out in Cairo, Egypt. The host nation, Egypt, other key mediators, the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the United Nations are calling on the warring parties to agree to a humanitarian truce.
A man takes a photograph of a forest fire burning in El Hoyo, Chubut province, Argentina, on Wednesday. Forest fires in Argentine Patagonia continued to spread in the provinces of Chubut, Santa Cruz and Rio Negro. Photo by Matias Garay/EPA
Patagonia on fire
Raging wildfires in Patagonia have destroyed nearly 37,000 hectares of native forests and threaten local communities. After nearly two weeks the fires, which are believed to have been deliberately set, were only partially under control. The emergency prompted the evacuation of 3,000 people, most of them tourists visiting the region, and destroyed homes and rural infrastructure. President Milei scrapped Argentina’s Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, downgrading it to the Secretariat of Tourism, Environment and Sports. The move led to a decrease of almost 80% to the country’s environmental budget between 2023 and 2024. The fires also come just one month after President Javier Milei announced changes to the Land Law and Forest Law, which removed limits on foreign purchases of land in Patagonia and lifted long-standing restrictions on changing land use after fires. Though every summer, wildfires devastate Patagonia, and have grown in intensity since 2020, some suspect foul play and corruption as a possible cause of the massive fires.
China and Canada reset ties and increase trade
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China as he held talks in Beijing with President Xi Jinping, in the first visit to China by a Canadian leader in eight years. The two leaders announced that Canada and China had reached a preliminary trade deal aimed at reducing tariffs, investment in energy, and a commitment to import 49,000 electric vehicles from China at preferential rates. Until recently, for almost a decade, Canada and China had been locked in diplomatic tensions after retaliatory arrests of each other’s citizens and a series of trade disputes. Though as both have faced uncertainty from their largest trading partner, the United States, the two countries are now seeking to forge a path bi-laterally, independent of the United States. Carney himself described the trade deal as a recognition of operating in a “new world order”.