Namal highlights India-Sri Lanka ties

 Namal highlights India–Sri Lanka ties, youth leadership at India’s 77th Republic Day event

HATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA 26 January 2026 DM 

Minneapolis shooting videos

 

Minneapolis shooting videos, US storm and Super Bowl LX

By Reuters January 26, 2026

This transcript was created using speech recognition software, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript.

Kim Vinnell

Hi, I'm Kim Vinnell in Whanganui, New Zealand. It's Monday, January 26th. Today. The Trump administration defends the shooting of another American in Minneapolis, while Reuters video analysis contradicts the official account. Healthcare workers turn out to honor the VA nurse shot dead by federal agents. And the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will face off at this year's Super Bowl. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, 7 days a week. Protesters in Minneapolis turn out in freezing weather to demand accountability over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse killed by border patrol agents on Saturday. The National Guard's been mobilized in the city as tensions grow over President Trump's immigration crackdown and the violent tactics used to enforce it. At the center is conflicting versions of what exactly happened to Pretti. Officials say he assaulted officers, compelling them to fire in self-defense. But that's at odds with video evidence. Reuters has analyzed footage of the shooting frame by frame. Here's Fernando Robles from our visual verification team on what they saw in three videos they verified from the scene.

Fernando Robles

The first one was filmed 3 minutes before the shooting started. In this video you can see Pretti walking down the street, he's filming and a bunch of agents are also in the street.

Kim Vinnell

At this point, a federal agent pushes one woman nearby and shoves another to the ground.

Fernando Robles

We can see Pretti on his right hand holding a phone. He was filming. And on the left side we don't see anything, you know, he has nothing on the left hand.

Kim Vinnell

Pretti moves between the agent and the women and raises his left hand to shield himself as the agent pepper sprays him. Soon after, agents push Pretti to his hands and knees, and as he is pinned down, someone shouts what sounds like a warning about the presence of a gun. Video footage then appears to show one of the agents removing a handgun from Pretti's waistband area and stepping away from the group with it. Moments later an officer points at Pretti's back and fires four shots in quick succession. Several more shots are heard as another agent also appears to fire. At the scene of the shooting, hundreds of health care workers gathered to honor Pretti, who they say was one of their own. Reuters' Brad Brooks was there.

Brad Brooks

It was a really somber event. It was really quiet event in a strange way. The people there were just devastated.

Protester

Alex was an ICU nurse at the VA. That's one of the toughest jobs in the world.

Brad Brooks

Many of these people were devastated to see their co-worker and friend who by all accounts was beloved by all of them, killed, shot down in a street not far from where he lived, not far where he worked.

Protester

The fact that he was a nurse makes it so much harder.

Kim Vinnell

But, Brad says, their anger goes deeper.

Brad Brooks

I've spoken with countless doctors and nurses in recent days, and they're feeling under intense strain because of the ICE surge, because of this surge of immigration agents into their city. They say that their ability to care for their patients is drastically reduced, either because their patients are too scared to come in to the hospitals or clinics to seek care because ICE agents hang around the vicinity of hospitals and clinics and pick people up according to all these doctors and nurses. I think people are really pushed over the edge here, to be honest with you. I've heard that repeatedly, from people from all walks of life, of all ages, of all races, people are incensed.

Kim Vinnell

President Donald Trump, in an initial social media post, posted a photo of Pretti's gun saying it was loaded with two additional full magazines and was ready to go saying, "what is that all about?" But in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the president said that his administration is reviewing everything and will come out with a determination about the fatal shooting. More than a million people lost power across the U.S. as a powerful winter storm sweeps the country from Ohio Valley and mid-south to New England, bringing snow, ice and dangerously low temperatures. In New York, snow plow trucks are working overtime. Some of the heaviest snowfall was measured there, up to a foot or more, as well as in parts of New Jersey, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania. A storm warning remains in place for most of the eastern third of the country, impacting almost 120 million people. And travel's been hit hard, with major carriers canceling more than 11,000 flights on Sunday. Turning to markets now, and we've got Mike Dolan from our sister podcast, Morning Bid, to tell us what we need to know as we start the week. Hey Mike.

Mike Dolan

Yeah, gold above $5,000 an ounce for the first time ever this morning. This is an astonishing rally in gold and other precious metals. But in gold last year, we got 65% rise. That was its best year since 1979. And we're up 17% already this year and we're still in January. What's driving it? Pretty much anything you care to mention in the global news agenda. It's geopolitics, it's trade tensions, it is domestic US politics. It's a concern about Federal Reserve independence, it's a falling dollar. For most people, gold is the only safe haven left out there.

Kim Vinnell

Thanks so much, Mike. You can catch Morning Bid wherever you get your podcasts. A fragile truce in Syria's northeast has just been extended. The Syrian government and Kurdish-led SDF are adding another 15 days to a ceasefire that was set to expire on Saturday night. It follows a rapid government offensive that's pushed President Ahmed al-Sharaa closer to taking full control of the region. Washington has been pushing for a lasting truce as it previously allied with the Kurds to fight Islamic State. The ceasefire also gives the U.S. more time to move Islamic State detainees from Syria into Iraq. That transfer of ISIS fighters was discussed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani on Sunday. The US wants them out of northeast Syria because of the instability there. Rubio also told al-Sudani that Iraq needs to get rid of Iranian interests in the country. Iraq is home to dozens of armed groups who answer to Tehran. To the Super Bowl, and Super Bowl LX is set. The Seattle Seahawks will face the New England Patriots on February 8th. Seattle got here behind Sam Darnold's best game of the year, 346 yards, 3 touchdowns, and big plays from Jackson Smith-Njigba to edge the Rams 31-27. It's Darnold's first Super Bowl, eight seasons and five teams in. New England advanced with a 10-7 win in Denver, leaning on a shutdown defense, and 23-year-old Drake Maye now the second-youngest quarterback ever to start a Super Bowl. Get your chips ready, Super Bowl Sunday is coming. And for today's recommended read, a Reuters exclusive, the US is putting pressure on Bolivia to kick suspected Iranian spies out of the country and designate Iran's IRGC, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Palestinian Hamas as terrorist organizations. The anonymous sources say the push comes as the US works to deepen its influence in Latin America. There's a link to that story in the description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.

Northern Investment Summit 2026

Northern Investment Summit 2026 ends with high focus on key sectors

Sri Lanka, Jan. 23 -- The Northern Investment Summit 2026 (NIS26), aimed at promoting domestic and foreign investment in Sri Lanka's Northern Province, concluded on January 22 at the Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre, Jaffna, following a two-day programme held on January 21 and 22.

Organised by The Management Club (TMC) Sri Lanka, the summit focused on highlighting investment opportunities in key sectors including agriculture and fisheries, tourism, education and information technology, and renewable energy, with the objective of increasing the Northern Province's contribution to the national economy while generating employment and encouraging youth and women entrepreneurship.

The inaugural session was attended by Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti, Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Prime Minister's Secretary G. A. Saputhanthri, Finance Ministry Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma, Indian Consul General in Jaffna Sai Murali, Northern Province Governor N. Vedanayahan, Members of Parliament, senior government officials, diplomatic representatives, and a large number of local and foreign investors.

Several state institutions including the Board of Investment, Export Development Board, Tourism Promotion Bureau, National Enterprise Development Authority, and the Northern Provincial Council participated in the summit, alongside representatives from foreign missions and private sector stakeholders.

The summit is considered significant as it marked the first large-scale, structured investment forum held in the Northern Province since the end of the conflict, signalling renewed efforts to integrate the region into national and international investment frameworks amid Sri Lanka's broader economic recovery process.

 Northern Investment Summit 2026: Turning vision into action

FT Tuesday, 30 December 2025 

Meeting with Northern Province Governor N. Vethanayagan  

The Management Club (TMC) is set to ignite a new chapter of economic transformation with the Northern Investment Summit 2026 (NIS26), taking place on 21 and 22 January 2026 at the iconic Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre. Held under the powerful theme “Empowering Growth, Insightful Innovations,” the summit promises to be more than a conference—it will be a catalyst for bold ideas, strategic partnerships, and long-term investment in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.

Designed as a high-impact platform, NIS26 will bring together Government leaders, business pioneers, global and diaspora investors, development agencies, and academia to unlock the region’s vast yet underexplored potential. With the Northern Province currently contributing just 4.5% to national GDP, the summit aims to transform untapped opportunity into inclusive growth—benefiting not only the North, but the entire nation.

In an interview with Siyatha TV, TMC Immediate Past President and NIS26 Project Chairman Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa described the summit as a landmark initiative—the first time a private-sector institution has taken the lead in a regional development agenda of this scale. The idea was sparked by TMC’s dynamic Jaffna branch, established during his presidency and comprising professors, senior bankers, and professionals committed to accelerating regional progress.

Meeting with Industry and Entrepreneurship Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe

Momentum intensified through high-level engagement with key stakeholders. A pivotal milestone was the meeting with the Consulate General of India in Jaffna, where Consul General of India Shri Sai Murali S., expressed strong and enthusiastic support for the summit. His active involvement was instrumental in securing the Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre as the prestigious venue for NIS26—underscoring the depth of Indo-Sri Lankan collaboration and the confidence of regional partners in the summit’s vision.

A defining moment in the summit’s journey was a high-impact hybrid consultative meeting chaired by the Northern Province Governor N. Vethanayagan, which brought together an unprecedented cross-section of stakeholders committed to the region’s development. The session saw physical participation from over 40 institutions and private-sector organisations, alongside virtual engagement from 41 development partners, INGOs, overseas investors, and local private investors. This inclusive and future-focused dialogue enabled open exchange of ideas, alignment of priorities, and collective ownership of the Northern development agenda. The strong turnout and depth of engagement underscored growing confidence in the Northern Province as a credible, investment-ready destination and reaffirmed the shared resolve to convert strategy into action through the Northern Investment Summit 2026.

What began as a bold proposal quickly gained momentum. With strong backing from the Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Finance, Board of Investment (BOI), Export Development Board (EDB) and several other State institutions, NIS26 has evolved into a nationally endorsed public–private collaboration, where TMC acts as facilitator.

To ensure credibility and readiness, TMC undertook an extensive consultative process across all five districts of the Northern Province. With the support of the Governor, district secretaries, and institutions such as the Industrial Development Board (IDB) and National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA), district-level data was captured using a standardised framework.

TMC’s knowledge partner KPMG is now consolidating this intelligence into five district-specific, investment-ready proposals, which will be unveiled to local, international, and expatriate investors. These proposals represent real, bankable opportunities—carefully vetted and aligned with national development priorities.

Meeting with Consulate General of India in Jaffna Shri Sai Murali S.

NIS26 focuses on four strategic pillars that define the future of the Northern Province:

• Agriculture and Fisheries – unlocking value through sustainable aquaculture, sea cucumber and seaweed farming, and Agri-innovation 
• Education and IT – positioning the North as Sri Lanka’s next IT and knowledge hub
• Tourism – developing authentic, high-value tourism rooted in culture, heritage, and nature
• Energy – accelerating renewable and sustainable energy solutions

These are strengthened by SMEs and startup ecosystems, empowering local entrepreneurs and connecting them to global markets.

Infrastructure has emerged as the single most critical enabler. TMC has actively advocated for enhanced air, land, and rail connectivity, including expansion plans for Jaffna International Airport, a dedicated container rail line, and a central logistics hub. Resolving these bottlenecks is expected to unlock a surge of interest—particularly from India and the wider region.

Signing MoU with Lions District 306 D12

Equally vital is policy innovation. Rajapaksa emphasised the need for a special incentive scheme for the Northern Province, supported by Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), to accelerate investment while easing fiscal pressures on the State.

NIS26 has already attracted strong institutional and private-sector support. HNB has come on board as the official banking partner, alongside key partners such as the International Distillers Ltd. (IDL), National Enterprise Development Authority (NEDA), Industrial Investment Board (IDB), National Chamber of Exporters (NCE), Staff and Education development Association (SEDA), and international business councils. Further strengthening community and social impact, an MoU has been signed with the Lions District 306 D12, reflecting broad-based support for inclusive development.

International outreach continues to build momentum, with MoUs signed with organisations such as the Australia Sri Lanka Business Council and growing engagement from global investor networks.

As envisaged by NCE Secretary General/CEO Shiham Marikar, the summit will serve as a vital economic bridge—integrating the Northern Province more closely with national and international value chains.

With the NIS26 website live (https://summit.mhstaging2.com/), registrations open, and investor inquiries already flowing in, the summit is poised to unlock a robust investment pipeline over the next three to five years

An invitation to invest, collaborate, and co-create the future of the Northern Province.

Local and international investors, regional industrialists, the Sri Lankan expatriate community, policymakers, and innovators are invited to join this landmark initiative and be part of a story where vision becomes opportunity, and opportunity becomes national progress.

Govt. moves to appease monks

Stirring the racial pot

A presidential statement at a Thaipongal ceremony in Jaffna last week has made waves in the south, many perplexed by what exactly the message was that he was trying to convey.

On plain listening, it seemed to target those whom he said were aiming to fan the communal flames using pilgrims from the south to the north, meaning Buddhists, to sow ‘harvest hatred’. Waving his finger as he is wont to do when stressing a point, either in Parliament or outside, he stressed he would never allow racism to raise its ugly head again.

“Why,” he asked, “do these pilgrims pass all the Buddhist places of worship in the south to perform religious observances in the north – if not in hatred?” It was an astounding remark to make unless he had some definitive prima facie information – which if he did have, making it public would have helped clarify his point. He added that he has asked the intelligence services to investigate all of this as well. Otherwise, whether he was basing his comment on some political advice was not clear.

In the absence of it all, it has led to questions about the motive for the statement, also raising the question if, correspondingly, it would apply to Sri Lankan citizens from the north who make regular pilgrimages to the south, as far as the Hambantota district – and if this is the antithesis to the government’s call for communal amity by dividing the north and south by an artificial border.

The use – or abuse – of religious extremism can be a deadly cocktail, and clearly there is a need to keep it in check. External elements are capable of exploiting religion and communal tensions towards their own ends, as is public knowledge. These can be done overtly or covertly, as in cases like the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, through the internet.

The recent incident in Trincomalee where Buddhist monks were arrested for violating a coast conservation law almost erupted into a racial issue in the multi-ethnic district. While all are equal before the law, the over-enthusiasm of the police has now resulted in a clash with the Attorney General – something that has spread into a tussle between the two law enforcement agencies. This week’s demonstration and counter-demonstration at Hulftsdorp for and against the Attorney General received a strong missive from the Bar Association about the rule of law in this country.

The government’s silence was deafening, making the AG take sides, compromising his independence.

From the early days in office, the Government’s displeasure with the Attorney General’s office has been made public, and they floated the idea of an Independent Prosecutor’s Office, which even received traction with foreign governments, which felt there was little progress in human rights prosecutions.

They better think again about their stance if they can see what is behind the Government’s move.

The Global South was right

As the President was making waves in Jaffna with his speech, the US President was making tidal waves with his own version of the global order and turning himself into an ‘unnatural disaster’ for the world in the process.

He doubled down on his threat to take over “a block of ice”, as he called Greenland, making insulting and unpresidential comments to all his European allies and the US-Europe alliance itself. European leaders, whom he condescendingly treats like, well, dirt, must surely be thinking, ‘With friends like this…we may be better off with erstwhile foes like China and even the Global South.’

The US President had already set the stage for the crash of the much-acclaimed Davos Economic Forum with his steady onslaught on the current international system – the unilateral incursion into Venezuela, threats to take over Canada, belittling NATO, arbitrary tariffs and finally the unthinkable – a bid to acquire Greenland.

The Canadian Prime Minister, who is just next door to the US, is clearly shivering more than he should be in the winter cold of the Swiss Alps, where past enthusiasm for global economic cooperation, trust and partnership has been replaced by the present malaise over the imminent demise of the so-called ‘rules-based world order’, to which he delivered the requiem.

His speech hit the headlines for announcing the end of the US-led postwar hegemony, the “rupture” between the US and Europe, and the way forward for the ‘Middle Powers’ in a future international system. Clearly, Canada and its Western allies in the Global North are looking for survival in a world after Pax Americana.

“In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice: compete with each other for favour or combine to create a third path with impact,” the Canadian PM told Davos. His description of Europe’s current predicament is hauntingly reminiscent of another transition in the global system: the post-colonial moment which gave rise to the Third World and the Non-Aligned Movement, antecedents of the Global South.

He conceded the North’s own complicity in the rhetorical shield of the ‘rules-based order’ as a value-coated cover to impose the will of the powerful states, under which he says countries like Canada prospered for decades. Canada’s recent actions showing scant respect for the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and India by supporting separatist groups like the LTTE and the Khalistanis for vote-base politics are a textbook case. He adds that they knew this order was “partially false”.

That is what the Global South has long been complaining of. The South had declared the Emperor naked many decades earlier – the selective, politicised double standards of this order fell on deaf ears. A new reality has set in for those who cynically benefitted from the old world order to their advantage.

There is no better contemporary example than the lack of accountability for the tragedy of Gaza – and the recent events in Venezuela.

Ironically, it is only now that the Global North, especially Europe, rediscovers the value and mutual respect embedded in the principles of sovereignty, self-determination and the sovereign equality of states – central to Global South thinking since its inception.

The US President is making Europe dance with his decision-making, depending on which side of the bed he gets off in the morning.

‘For whom the bells toll, it tolls for thee.’ Though not explicitly stated in those terms, let Davos 2026 be the year where the Global North recognises the worldview of the Global South, the Non-Aligned Movement of yesteryear, as the grizzly bear and the horned dragon watch smiling from their respective capitals.

Bring on the investments, Vijitha tells diaspora

The Northern Investment Summit 2026 was held this week, where members of the Tamil diaspora attended in large numbers with pledges to invest in projects for the long-term development of Northern Sri Lanka. It brought together government, business, and academia.

As part of the investments, the groundbreaking ceremony of the AUREUM luxury hotel complex under an investment of Luxembourg, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was held. Foreign Affairs and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath, who attended the event, invited Sri Lankan expatriates to bring in new investment into the tourism industry, citing the country now has both economic and political stability.

Govt. moves to appease monks, but opposition too scrambles to assist temples

Following criticism of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake by Buddhist monks as well as others for his remarks in Jaffna last week, where he said those gathering every full moon (Poya) day at certain disputed sites in the North were driven not by devoutness but by hatred, the government is keen to win back its detractors over the issue.

As a first step, the President will hold a meeting in Colombo on Monday where he will announce generous funds for the rebuilding of over 1400 temples that were damaged by Cyclone Ditwah. The money for the reconstruction will be disbursed through the respective Divisional Secretariats within the next few days, while the government also plans to assist Buddhist temples that are in need of repairs.

It seems, however, it’s not only that government that is keen to assist the temples. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa and Sarvajana Balaya MP Dilith Jayaweera have all announced they plan to assist the temples affected by the cyclone.

---

From ABBA to Paudwal, comrades certainly appear to have an ear for music

While the JVP comrades like to keep their private lives under wraps, one thing is clear that some of them at least have an ear for music. 

Soon after taking power in December 2024, the Party’s General Secretary, Tilvin Silva, along with a few others, was seen enjoying an ABBA concert. This week many were in attendance at the concert by the Padma Shri award-winning veteran Bollywood singer Anuradha Paudwal titled ‘Timeless Bollywood Melodies” held at the Nelum Pokuna in Colombo. 

Before the concert, Ms Paudwal, was invited to the JVP head office at Pelawatte, where she was received by Tilvin Silva and presented a token of appreciation.

Delegation of SJB and SLPP members off to Odisha for India Republic Day

At the invitation of the Indian government, a delegation comprising politicians from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is scheduled to depart for the Indian state of Odisha to mark India’s Republic Day on January 26.

The delegation comprises SJB MPs Chitral Fernando, Chamidrini Kiriella, Chatura Galappatti, and Prasad Siriwardena; SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa, former MPs Indika Anuruddha, Sanjeewa Edirimanna, and Sampath Athukorala; and Political Bureau member Milinda Rajapaksa.

During the visit, the group is set to conduct an observation tour of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, recognised as one of the world’s leading disaster management centres. Furthermore, they will participate in a tour of Buddhist archaeological sites dating back to the era of Emperor Ashoka.

A discussion regarding this visit was held recently at the official residence of the Indian High Commissioner.

This follows a tour of the judges to India.

Greenland, America and the end of Atlanticism

The Weekend Essay  Geopolitics 

Greenland, America and the end of Atlanticism 

Behind the crisis caused by Donald Trump’s threats is a much bigger change: the waning of US hegemony and the coming of a multi-polar age

Odd Arne Westad Published FTJanuary 24 2026

Danish forces take part in an exercise with troops from other European Nato members in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, last September © AP/Ebrahim Noroozi

The Greenland ice sheet is breaking up, losing 280bn tonnes to the ocean every year. All across the Arctic, new sea routes are opening as temperatures rise. Some projections indicate that in 20 years it will be possible to sail across the North Pole through the central Arctic Ocean — though you would have to watch for giant icebergs, large enough to sink the biggest vessels and the best-laid plans. 

Given the extraordinary effects of global warming, which were almost unforeseeable a short while ago, it is not surprising that Greenland has been thrown into the geopolitical spotlight. What is more surprising is the way this has happened, with a US president demanding the right to take over the country in order to prevent other Great Powers from doing so. 

Pushing for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland”, Donald Trump has found a cause that is fully alienating his administration from most European countries and has the potential to effectively end Nato as a mutual defence agreement. By midweek, he was ruling out using military force and talking up the prospect of a deal. But like the Arctic ice, the transatlantic relationship seems to be fracturing rapidly.

Donald Trump with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte in Davos, where the US president said on Wednesday that the two had discussed ‘the framework of a future deal’ over the island © AP/Evan Vucci

The break-up of Atlanticism has, of course, been predicted many times before and still has not happened, mainly because of Europe’s dependence on US military guarantees. From the Suez crisis in the 1950s to the invasion of Iraq in the 2000s, Nato has weathered many storms and survived with its common defence purpose intact. 

It was Henry Kissinger who observed back in the 1960s that political identities are often established by opposition to a dominant power. “The European sense of identity,” he argued, “is unlikely to be an exception to this general rule — its motive could well be to insist on a specifically European view of the world.” Kissinger’s book The Troubled Partnership did not become a bestseller, except, he liked to joke, in bookshops where it had been put under “marriage manuals”.

This crisis could very well be different precisely because of differing senses of identity. These have, of course, been developing over time: Europeans preferring principles of sovereignty, international law and UN co-operation, Americans (and not just Trump Republicans) believing in predominance, global control and economic supremacy. Since the 2010s the split has become ever more visible, especially with Trump in charge. 

''A world dominated by one or two superpowers was not peaceful, but it was to some extent predictable. That predictability is gone''. 

In Trump’s second administration, the US is governed by the hard right, while in Europe, for the most part, traditional political parties are still in charge. But even if European extreme-right parties were to succeed further electorally, or the US were to elect a Democratic president, it is highly likely that transatlantic tensions would continue. 

The reason for this is that political identities, as declared by governments on both sides of the Atlantic or elsewhere, are usually connected to power relations. And it is these fundamental power relations that have changed, from a unipolar system with the US at the centre after the cold war to an embryonic form of multi-polarity today. The transatlantic crisis is the effect of a much bigger change that has been building for almost a generation: the end of American hegemony and the coming of a multi-polar age. The global system no longer has one centre. It has many, each of which will seek to project power in whatever way it sees as serving its interests. 

This is a kind of world that few of us have experienced. Nearly everyone alive today has grown up in a world dominated by one or two superpowers. That world was not peaceful, but it was to some extent predictable. Now that predictability is gone, replaced by the uncertainties that a much more complex and multi-polar world will bring. Gone also is the belief that the 21st century would somehow be a return to the cold war, with China replacing the Soviet Union as the global antagonist of the US. 

That is not the world that Donald Trump sees when he demands Greenland or attacks Venezuela. He sees — as, for their part, do Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping — a world of rapidly evolving multi-polar rivalries in which they need to dominate their neighbourhoods and strengthen themselves in case of large-scale Great Power confrontations. This is the vision of the world that Trump acts on now and will act on in the future. 

So the new era of fragmentation is no new cold war, but it carries some striking similarities to another past world, that of the late 19th and early 20th century. Back then, we also had a world of many Great Powers that clashed with each other and sought to dominate their neighbourhoods. Nationalism and populism were on the rise, and many people felt that the globalisation of the day had not worked for them. Protectionism and tariffs increased, and growing numbers blamed the citizens of other countries for their problems. Immigration and terrorism were among the big issues. Leaders everywhere were fearful of military action, but still prepared for conflict in ways that almost guaranteed that, if hostilities were to break out, the Great Powers would get involved. 

'' Trump’s message that might makes right is not only unsettling Europeans. It is also heard loud and clear in Moscow and Beijing 

We know how that world ended. Today, as before 1914, the stakes are very high, and the conflicts are real. A large number of people who live within the Great Powers believe that those who live in other Great Powers, or at least their leaders, are out to get them. Two in five Americans have said that it is likely that America will go to war with China in the next five years. In China, where reliable public opinion data is scarce, students frequently ask me when I believe a full-scale Sino-American war will erupt. Two-thirds of Russians believe the war in Ukraine is a life-or-death “civilisational struggle” with the west, and about the same percentage of Indians have an unfavourable or very unfavourable view of China. In Europe, a staggering three-quarters of Germans and French now view China unfavourably. Meanwhile, 73 per cent of French people and 71 per cent of Germans believe that the US is no longer an ally. 

Much as in the pre-1914 world, nationalisms of various kinds play an increasing role in today’s politics. From Trump’s attempts to dominate the western hemisphere, to Xi Jinping’s quest to regain China’s glory, to Vladimir Putin’s stab at a new Russian empire, to the rise of populist anti-foreign attitudes in Britain, Germany and France, negative views of others underpin many of the conflicts in today’s world. 

A boat makes its way through a frozen inlet off Nuuk, capital of Greenland, last year © AP/Evgeniy Maloletka 

It is easy to see how such sentiments make major war more possible, because they make it harder for even the more sensible political leaders to warn against the effects of international conflict. Under such circumstances, few of those in charge want to risk their own political careers through defusing tensions with other countries. The bipartisan US consensus over confronting China is one example. Another is how Russian, Chinese and American political elites have aligned themselves with expansionist agendas that many privately recognise could lead to disaster, such as in the case of Ukraine, Taiwan or Greenland. 

The worst part of Trump’s Greenland posture, at least so far, is the rhetoric that it uses. Not only does it openly threaten an ally, but it argues, in a very naked fashion, that might makes right. This message is not only unsettling Europeans. It is also heard loud and clear in Moscow and Beijing. Why should Xi hold back in blackmailing Taiwan when Trump threatens the use of military force against Denmark, a treaty ally and one of the most unwarlike countries on Earth? Why should Putin not go for broke in Ukraine when Trump sends special forces to capture the president of another country and his wife, and puts them on trial in an American court? 

Recommended News in-depth Greenland Greenland is ground zero for Arctic ‘Great Game’ How this crisis unfolds in the coming weeks and months will determine not only the future of the transatlantic relationship, but also of relations among the world’s Great Powers. They are all watching keenly. For Russia, Trump is the gift that keeps on giving. Moscow newspapers have not only found the total justification for Putin’s war in Ukraine, they also, gleefully, describe Europe’s impotence in international affairs: “spinning as if in a frying pan”, wrote the pro-Kremlin tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. China is, as usual, more careful, but the People’s Daily writes about “Europe’s strategic ‘spinelessness’ in the face of hegemonic coercion”. Even India and Indonesia are taking Trump’s rhetoric as justification for acting unilaterally when their strategic interests are at stake.

A team from the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong 2 carry out scientific research during an Arctic expedition last August © Alamy 

Russia’s ‘50 Years of Victory’ nuclear-powered icebreaker at the North Pole in 2021 © AFP via Getty Images

In a broader sense, Trump’s policies serve as a reminder of how often dominant powers self-destruct rather than being diminished by the actions of their rivals. Before 1914, Britain wasted its status and resources on unnecessary wars and conflicts. America’s Boer war was Afghanistan and Iraq in the 2000s, made worse by the 2021 retreat from Afghanistan and the constant quarrels among allies. 

 

The global image of the US, the soft power that kept its prominence among nations, has suffered more since Trump first became president than at any other time in US history. For much of the rest of the world, Trump’s late-night tweets and bullying demeanour, his infantile preoccupation with winning the Nobel Peace Prize or building resorts in Gaza, and now his campaign to buy Greenland — including, presumably, its 56,000 people — are constant reminders of American decline and unreasonableness, a country not fit to manage international affairs, or even, it seems, its own affairs. 

Another aspect of the decline of dominant powers is their inability, or unwillingness, to concentrate on the key issues facing their own countries. It is easy to empathise with Americans who voted for Trump because they believed that the US has done enough for the world, and now needs to concentrate on its own affairs. America First is not an unreasonable slogan for the many Americans, including those who have fought in needless, unnecessary wars, who are now suffering from decaying industries, infrastructure and healthcare. 

'' The push to buy Greenland takes an approach to international affairs unique to the US and makes it into a modern parody 

Trump was elected to be the first post-cold war US president, a president who really put the US, and not the international system it had created, first on the agenda. What the voters got was, in the end, the opposite: continued decline at home, exacerbated by self-inflicted economic chaos, and a quixotic foreign policy that delivers nothing to ordinary Americans. 

The push to buy Greenland is part of that unworkable approach to the world. For people outside the US, it is the principle that countries and peoples can be bought and sold that rankles most. But the campaign is more than another frustration in the uninformed, febrile mind of an ageing president. It takes an approach to international affairs unique to the US and makes it into a modern parody. 

Didn’t Thomas Jefferson buy Louisiana? Didn’t Andrew Johnson buy Alaska? Woodrow Wilson, not among Trump’s favourite presidents, bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25mn. Why not buy Greenland now and make it American? But the world has moved on and parodying the past leads nowhere.

At the US consulate in Nuuk on January 13, an employee closes the door after hanging out the American flag © Reuters/Marko Djurica 

Meanwhile, the strategic situation in the Arctic in terms of Great Power rivalries will be going from bad to worse. Moscow and Beijing are increasingly co-operating on Arctic development, though their partnership contains inherent tensions. China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018 and announced its “Polar Silk Road” as part of the Belt and Road Initiative, framing the region as a domain for strategic access rather than sovereignty — a conceptual challenge to the territorial claims of Arctic nations. The two powers conduct combined coast guard patrols in the Bering Sea and joint bomber flights near Alaska, while Chinese investment and technology help develop Russian Arctic infrastructure that Moscow previously resisted sharing. Already in June 2025, the Trump administration transferred responsibility for Greenland from US European Command to Northern Command, integrating it into homeland defence rather than treating it as part of European theatre operations.

For Europe, the crisis over Greenland has the potential to become much more than just another stage in the slow unravelling of its relations with the US. Europe has been left in the lurch by its main ally and needs to act to assert its interests and not just its identity. The European parliament has moved to freeze approval of the recently negotiated EU-US trade deal until Trump’s threats cease. But trade is not enough. A permanent European military presence in Greenland is needed, alongside European institutions that treat Greenland as vital to Europe’s own security, rather than as a Danish dependency to be defended just on principle. Such policies make coercion both more difficult and less attractive to Washington. 

At the core of Europe’s longer-term dilemma is, of course, the unwillingness of European countries to take responsibility for their and the continent’s own defence. Even the recent rise in defence budgets has predominantly flowed to American suppliers. European countries spent roughly €381bn on defence in 2025, yet less than one-fifth of procurement is conducted jointly. 

Low cloud over houses in Nuuk this month © Mads Claus Rasmussen/Avalon 

The lack of military integration is Europe’s greatest weakness, made worse by Brexit and by the cost of the war in Ukraine. An integrated European defence mechanism within Nato is urgently needed. It will be extraordinarily hard to achieve, just like the single market and the euro. But without its own integrated defence capability, Europe will remain a region in which Great Powers demand what they believe they need for their own security. At the moment, the only foreseeable outcome of the current crisis is further damage to the transatlantic relationship and the emboldening of America’s Great Power rivals. Trump’s demands have been impulsive and reckless, but they are still reflective of new realities that we all have to live with. The way that Great Powers think about capabilities and dominance has fundamentally changed. And their rivalries have moved north, with the receding ice, into waters that are truly uncharted.  

Odd Arne Westad is a professor of history and global affairs at Yale University and author of ‘The Cold War: A World History’. His next book, ‘The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict and Warnings from History’, will be published in March Find out about our latest stories first — follow FT Weekend on Instagram, Bluesky and X, and sign up to receive the FT Weekend newsletter every Saturday morning