At a time of hand-wringing and emotional distress at the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) – where leaders often whine as little children without offering any constructive solutions to global conflicts of their own – something remarkable took place: The United States, Denmark, and Greenland reached a historic agreement on what President Donald Trump described as “the northern frontier of North-America, the large and strategically vital piece of land known as Greenland.”
Under the agreement, which was signed on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York City on September 22, 2026 by Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the parties demonstrated that diplomacy can prevail through a combination of good will, tenacity, and courage.
It is not a secret that Trump’s unconventional approach towards diplomacy had frustrated many European leaders – as well as the usual suspects whose dogmatic views on international law – turned the Greenland challenge into a media spectacle. But thanks, in large part, to extraordinary leadership by the never wavering Frederiksen, the parties reached an historic agreement that is – you guessed it – based on international law, which strengthens the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and U.S. security in particular.
The agreement was signed while many leaders are calling for a stronger United Nations but UN Secretary-General António Guterres was nowhere to be found; he didn’t play a role in the negotiations, nor has he been able to mediate an end to any of the many conflicts around the world.
This magazine does not take delight in a weak United Nations marked by its numerous failures, but we must acknowledge that successful diplomacy -which is based on international law – is possible when all parties exhibit good will.
All images are credited to the Prime Minister of Denmark’s Office.
The parties demonstrated that diplomacy can prevail through a combination of good will, tenacity, and courage
