Merz mediation, Macron's fury, and Trump's high-stakes gamble with global economy

Pars Today – Trump’s aggressive policies (from the trade war with Europe to the Greenland affair and pressure on Iran) have destabilized the global security and economic order.

According to Pars Today, while U.S. foreign policy once again revolves around pressure, threats, and unilateralism, Europe is caught between anger, passivity, and anxiety over the collapse of the existing order. From Berlin's behind-the-scenes efforts to contain trade tensions with Washington to the controversial Greenland affair and increasing pressure on Iran, indications are that Trump’s new projects have not only challenged America's allies but also the very foundations of global economy and security.

When Merz mediates the Macron-Trump trade war

Bloomberg headlined the frantic efforts of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to appease Macron's anger. Bloomberg wrote that Merz is trying to persuade French President Emmanuel Macron to soften his response to Trump’s latest threat of imposing new trade tariffs on European allies. Bloomberg had previously reported that Macron intended to request the activation of the so-called "EU Anti-Coercion Instrument," but Merz said on Monday that Germany's reliance on exports makes it less inclined to support the bloc’s strongest trade countermeasures.

Trump doesn’t want Greenland by force, but he has no interest in peace either

According to NBC, Trump has intensified his efforts to acquire Greenland; currently, this effort is limited to threats of imposing 10%, then 25% tariffs. However, in a brief phone interview with NBC News, when asked whether he would use force to seize Greenland, Trump replied, "No comment!" Yet, in a text message to Jonas Gahr Støre, the Prime Minister of Norway, he blamed Greenland as the main reason for not receiving last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, stating: "Given that your country decided not to award me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping '8 wars,' I no longer feel obliged to merely think about peace!"

European countries, which until recently stood firmly behind U.S. actions, have now fallen into America's trap themselves:

Greenland: The key to destroying NATO and the EU

The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) wrote: If European leaders do not act decisively, the annexation of Greenland by the U.S. could destroy not only NATO but also the European Union. Explaining this claim, the council analyzed: "NATO’s raison d'être is the collective security of its members. Therefore, as soon as the United States directs its power against its allies, NATO will collapse. NATO is also a political organization. The day after annexation, the North Atlantic Council would become meaningless. NATO would no longer be an alliance of democracies but a 21st-century copy of the Warsaw Pact." Regarding the impact of annexation on destroying the EU, it continued: "The annexation of Greenland would undermine the core value of solidarity in the EU. Worse yet, disagreements among member states on how to respond could deal a fatal blow to the Union."

However, Trump’s colonial-style projects these days do not end with destroying organizations and unions; they have also turned the global economy into a gambling table:

Pressure on Iran collapses the U.S.-led global economic order

Li Haoran, Associate Professor at the School of Applied Economics and Deputy Director of the Global Energy Strategy Research Center, and Gong Heqiang, Deputy Director of the Southern Power Grid of China, jointly warned about Trump’s "Monroe Doctrine" approach toward Iran. CGTN, publishing the experts’ article, wrote: "The original Monroe Doctrine was geographically limited, aiming to exclude foreign powers from the Western Hemisphere. However, Trump, by generalizing this doctrine, is applying its global model to Iran to dominate its energy management. But by targeting Iran through overwhelming pressure, Trump has not only altered Tehran’s options but also accelerated the collapse of the global economic order that once bolstered U.S. influence."