Correct. The progressive dream of punishing Donald Trump is not a realistic goal. If deterrence fails, it fails. Then the purpose of an Olympic boycott is to show that when NATO or OAS makes a threat, it is credible.
Suppose nations fail to threaten Olympic withdrawal as a consequence of a future U.S. conquest of Greenland. Then the U.S. conquers Greenland. Then many nations withdraw from the Olympics. That will be worthless.
A realistic boycott would not be by Olympic competitors but by foreign tourists. And there’s already evidence of trepidation amongst said tourists, not helped by Vance’s statements on the matter.
However, since this is LA Trump would just blame Newsom for it.
Disagree. If the US, by Trump’s order, militarily conquers and steals Danish territory, it’s basically impossible that Denmark would then participate in the Olympics, and I find it highly implausible that the rest of the EU wouldn’t stand by them. Anything beyond the EU is hard to predict, but their boycott seems almost certain to me.
I do agree that the Olympics would go ahead anyway and Trump will crow about the inflated American medal count.
Do you really think in three years Canada would meekly submit and Canadian athletes would cheerfully march under the flag of their occupier? There’d be an ongoing guerrilla war. The concern at the LA Olympics would be things blowing up.
I wonder how many Congressional Republicans smile along with his insane wet dreams to make him happy, but wish he would just stfu, and drop the whole thing. Do any of them genuinely believe these conquests would be a good thing?
No, I didn’t say that. I was humouring the OP’s premise of a “conquest of the Canal or Greenland (or Canada)”.
Some of them most certainly would. Recent polls indicate that 10% of Canadians would vote to join the US if there were a referendum on that question. The proportion of supporters would probably be much lower in the event of an invasion, but I doubt it would be 0.
There is precedent for athletes and teams in annexed territories being integrated into the conquering nation’s sporting organizations. For example, many Ukrainian soccer teams were absorbed or reconstituted by Russia following its military interventions. The teams now play in Russian leagues.
But what about setting up a new and improved military night watch, by Springtime, at Greenland’s airports and harbors? And publicize the watch. Invite FoxNews to visit. Fear of a military setback is what would intimidate Trump. Rapid PR response will not.
Both Trump and Kegsbreathe seem like exactly the kind of guys who would mock soldiers for being “Afraid of a little snow!”, them being completely unaware of what a real Arctic blizzard is like.
Continuing a “proud tradition”, Trump has appointed a special envoy to Greenland. Talk about a plush job! Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry Is the lucky choice.
No, no, no, it will not be an attack. No way. Never. It will be mandatory to call it a Special Touristic Fulfilling Operation (STFO). Calling it an attack or an invasion will be considered treason. Traitors will be provisionally shot until their case is revised posthumously.
This Landry guy seems to be a nice chap:
During his time as Attorney General, he made a name for himself as a cultural warrior for the Trump camp. He repeatedly brought legal action against the Biden administration and even created his own office for this task.
Landry led a coalition of 13 states that successfully sued the Biden administration over its temporary halt to federal oil and gas drilling leases. He also won legal battles against vaccine mandates for healthcare workers and mask mandates in schools, which he considered to be encroachments by the US government.
Landry is also a staunch advocate of the abortion ban. After the Roe v. Wade case in 2022, he campaigned vigorously for the immediate implementation of ‘trigger laws’ in Louisiana, which almost completely ban abortion. He also blocked policies that sought to extend protection for transgender people in state institutions, often coming into conflict with Louisiana’s Democratic governor at the time.
He used his profile as a hardliner and culture warrior to prepare for his candidacy – supported by Donald Trump – for governor of Louisiana. At the end of 2023, he won the election with an absolute majority – even though the Democrats had previously governed the state. (from an article in the German Handelsblatt today).