Greenland claims: How close have NATO members come to fighting each other?

The Trump medication has erstwhile again threatened to instrumentality power of Greenland either by acquiring it oregon done the usage of subject unit to “deter our adversaries successful the Arctic region.”

Greenland, which is simply a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, already hosts the Pituffik Space Base, which the US operates successful coordination with Danish authorities. Both the US and Denmark are founding members of NATO, the astir almighty subject alliance.

European and Canadian leaders person jumped to support Denmark and Greenland, saying they are moving connected a program successful the lawsuit the United States follows done with its threats.

Analysts person said that immoderate effort by the US to prehend Greenland would beryllium an unprecedented determination successful NATO’s past and rise superior questions astir the endurance of the confederation and the limits of Article 5, which was designed to support against an outer aggressor.

What happens if 1 NATO subordinate attacks another?

Collective defence is NATO’s governing principle, wherever Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an equipped onslaught against 1 NATO subordinate is considered an onslaught against all.

This has been a binding pledge since 1949, erstwhile the confederation came unneurotic and 1 that has forged solidarity betwixt North America and Europe.

Because Article 5 requires unanimous statement from each members to beryllium invoked, a struggle betwixt 2 members would pb to an impasse, arsenic the confederation cannot ballot to spell to warfare against itself.

The lone clip Article 5 has been invoked was pursuing the September 11, 2001, attacks successful the US.

[Al Jazeera]

In this timeline, Al Jazeera examines the closest instances erstwhile NATO members person faced imaginable struggle with each other.

(Al Jazeera)

Limited subject confrontations

1958–1976 – The UK and Iceland sportfishing dispute

The Cod Wars (1958–1976) were a bid of escalating disputes betwixt the UK and Iceland implicit North Atlantic sportfishing rights.

While the struggle ne'er became a full-scale confrontation, it did impact a bid of naval confrontations, including the ramming of ships and diplomatic friction betwixt the 2 NATO members.

Fearing the nonaccomplishment of the Keflavik airbase successful Iceland, which was indispensable for monitoring Soviet submarines successful the bluish Atlantic Ocean, NATO and the US pressured the UK to concede. The quality ended successful 1976 with a cardinal diplomatic triumph for Iceland, establishing the 200-mile (322km) bounds that remains the planetary modular today.

Royal Navy frigate HMS Brighton criss-crosses successful beforehand of gunboat Thor disconnected the seashore of Iceland during an incidental wherever Thor chopped the trawling wires of a British trawler, which occurred during a quality known arsenic the ‘Cod Wars’. Date chartless [AP Photo]

1974 – Greece and Turkiye implicit Cyprus

The 1974 Turkish penetration of Cyprus is the closest NATO has travel to its members engaging successful full-scale war. Following a Greek-sponsored coup successful Cyprus, Turkiye launched a subject involution that astir sparked a nonstop struggle betwixt the 2 NATO members.

In protestation of NATO’s perceived nonaccomplishment to restrain Turkiye, Greece withdrew from the alliance’s subject operation from 1974 until 1980.

Given that this was during the Cold War, some members were imperative to NATO’s corporate beforehand against the Soviet Union. Despite immoderate subject enactment betwixt Greece and Turkiye, the confederation was capable to forestall a nonstop war.

Turkish Cypriots hurling stones against Greek Cypriots entering the buffer portion successful Derinya, portion the Turkish Cypriot constabulary utilizing shields effort to halt them during a clash betwixt Turkish and Greek Cypriots [Reuters]

1995 – Canada and Spain sportfishing dispute

In 1995, Canada and Spain came adjacent to a naval struggle during the “Turbot War”. Canada had imposed restrictions to support food stocks, including a taxon of food named turbot, starring to accusations that EU boats were overfishing conscionable extracurricular Canada’s exclusive economical zone.

Tensions escalated erstwhile Canadian Coast Guard vessels fired informing shots implicit a Spanish trawler and arrested its crew. Europe threatened sanctions, but the UK vetoed them, siding with Canada alongside Ireland. In response, Spain deployed naval patrols, and Canada authorised its navy to occurrence connected trespassing vessels, bringing NATO members dangerously adjacent to conflict.

The situation ended pursuing EU mediation, resulting successful Canada withdrawing its enforcement actions and the constitution of a associated regulatory framework.

Turbot is simply a flatfish known for its delicate flavour and steadfast achromatic flesh, often considered a culinary delicacy [File: Bas Czerwinski/AP Photo]

Disputes implicit warfare engagements

NATO has besides faced interior divisions implicit erstwhile and however to prosecute militarily, with immoderate members often wanting to debar nonstop subject action.

1956 – France, UK and US implicit the Suez Crisis

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, France and the UK formed a concealed confederation with Israel to invade Egypt pursuing Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s nationalisation of the Suez Canal.

This cognition caused a terrible situation wrong NATO, arsenic the United States, fearing Soviet involution and the alienation of the Arab world, powerfully opposed the subject action. Despite the deficiency of agreement, France and the UK went up with operations anyway.

The struggle was yet resolved by the UN’s first-ever equipped peacekeeping mission, the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), which established the blueprint for aboriginal UN peacekeeping operations.

Israeli soldiers successful foxholes arsenic they cleanable their airy weapons astatine a basal astatine the Milta Pass during Operation Kadesh successful the 1956 Middle East war. In October 1956, Israel, nether continued cross-border commando raids from Egypt, crossed into the Sinai successful an audacious program to instrumentality power of the Suez Canal with France and the UK [Reuters]

1960s-1970s – US and European allies implicit Vietnam War

The Vietnam War saw a important disagreement betwixt NATO members implicit US subject interventions, wherever Washington viewed Vietnam arsenic a cardinal beforehand successful the Cold War, but cardinal European allies, specified arsenic France and the UK, opposed nonstop subject involvement.

France openly condemned the warfare and ended up leaving NATO’s subject bid successful 1966 to debar being dragged into aboriginal US conflicts. France yet rejoined the subject operation 43 years aboriginal successful 2009.

The UK opposed sending British troops contempt unit from the US, arsenic the warfare was wide unpopular with the British public. However, it did supply logistical and quality enactment for the US. Interestingly, fixed its accustomed adjacent confederation with the UK, and contempt not being a subordinate of NATO, Australia committed troops to the war.

These differences led to tensions among the biggest players successful NATO and resulted successful the Vietnam War not being mandated nether NATO command. It besides resulted successful NATO’s office moving from France to Belgium, wherever it remains today.

US Huey helicopters alert successful enactment implicit a landing portion successful South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, day chartless [AP Photo]

1999 – Greece’s absorption to Kosovo aerial campaign

In 1999, NATO launched an aerial run successful effect to the taste cleansing carried retired by Serbian forces successful Kosovo.

The confederation conducted an aerial run against Yugoslavia, but met superior reservations from NATO members, specified arsenic Greece, which shared adjacent taste and spiritual ties with Serbia. Greek protesters physically blocked and targeted British troops and tanks that were travelling to articulation allied forces.

Greece became the archetypal NATO subordinate to telephone for a halt to the bombing.

A British subject helicopter, painted with tiger stripes, lands adjacent the US Army campy astatine the Tirana, Albania airbase, Friday, April 30, 1999 [Reuters]

2003 – European allies divided implicit Iraq War

The 2003 Iraq War caused 1 of the deepest rifts successful NATO’s history.

While the confederation supported UNSC Resolution 1441, which gave Iraq “a last accidental to comply with its disarmament obligations”, 3 NATO members: France, Germany and Belgium rejected the US assertion that it authorised contiguous subject action, starring to a deadlock.

In the end, the penetration was conducted by a “Coalition of the Willing” alternatively than NATO itself, and Article 5 remained uninvoked.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair addresses the media arsenic US President George W Bush listens astatine the White House, January 31, 2003 successful Washington, DC [Brad Markel-Pool/Getty Images]

2011 – Disagreements implicit Libya intervention

During the 2011 involution successful Libya, NATO members had failed to travel to an statement implicit whether NATO should beryllium successful complaint of enforcing a no-fly portion implicit Libya if the US stepped backmost from starring the operation.

Germany and Poland opposed a subject involution entirely, with Germany refusing to backmost an UN Security Council solution authorising NATO action. Turkiye besides voiced beardown opposition, insisting that immoderate enactment indispensable debar concern and reason quickly.

France opposed starring the NATO intervention, portion Italy said it wanted to instrumentality backmost power of airbases it had authorised for usage by allies unless a coordination operation was agreed.

These interior divisions delayed NATO from taking ceremonial bid of the aerial run until astir 2 weeks aft the archetypal conjugation strikes began.

A French Navy Rafale pitchy combatant prepares to onshore connected the Charles de Gaulle craft bearer connected April 20, 2011, successful the Mediterranean Sea, arsenic portion of the subject operations of the Nato conjugation successful Libya [Alexander Klein/AFP/Getty Images]

Other notable disagreements

NATO has faced disagreements implicit Afghanistan and deployments successful Eastern Europe pursuing the Russia-Ukraine war. Some members person constricted however and wherever their subject forces volition operate.

In addition, determination person besides been fund disputes and rocket defence issues. However, the confederation has ne'er breached apart.

What happens with Greenland present is simply a trial for NATO’s unity.