“Are we the baddies?”

That line from the British comedy show “That Mitchell and Webb Look’’ has over the years sparked countless internet memes. The setup is simple; in the depths of a battle on the Eastern Front in WWII, a Nazi officer takes note of the skull regalia donning his unit’s hats and begins to question if he and his troops were on the right side of right and wrong. 

It’s a funny skit. Fast forward from its air date in 2006 to today’s discussion of U.S.-Greenland relations and the skit’s central premise loses some of its humor, its central question hitting far closer to home than any of us would have imagined only months ago.

Are we the baddies?

To reprise, Donald Trump floated the concept of the U.S. acquiring Greenland in his first term,

Greenland

but his second term has brought the idea to the forefront with statements that we should purchase Greenland, and if that doesn’t work we would “do something on Greenland whether they like it or not,” and that military force is “always an option.”

Rationales for the takeover of Greenland, a Danish territory, generally invoke claims that it’s vital to U.S. security, that Denmark is too weak to defend it, along with some pundits pointing out that a wealth of minerals will be accessible in Greenland as climate changes thaws out the ice-covered island. (Notably, the official position of the administration is that climate change is a hoax, so good luck squaring that logic).

As January rolled toward February, Trump announced a 10 percent import tax on eight European nations – all allies – due to their opposition to a Greenland takeover. He said the rate would climb to 25 percent on June 1 should that date arrive without “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the U.S.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, in an interview with Jake Tapper, asserted the U.S. has the right to take Greenland, saying “Greenland should be part of the United States.” Miller also questioned Denmark’s claim over Greenland, saying. “What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?”

For its park, Denmark says they have no interest in ceding or selling Greenland. Greenlanders, for their part, have long been pushing for independence and seem to have no interest in becoming part of the U.S. (At the very least they’d lose their government-funded health care).

The idea of a military takeover of Greenland is broadly unpopular among Americans as well.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has pushed back hard on Miller’s comments. 

“What makes me cranky? Stupid.” Tillis said. “What makes me cranky is when people don’t do their homework. What makes me cranky is when we tarnish the extraordinary execution of a mission I fully support in Venezuela by turning around and making insane comments about how it is our right to have territory owned by the Kingdom of Denmark.”

Tillis pointed out that Denmark’s role in NATO’s response to the Sept. 11 attacks was “disproportionately high,” as the nation of only 6 million people lost 43 soldiers in Afghanistan.

As to Greenland being defenseless, who’s responsible? Um, we are, having drawn down the U.S. presence from around 10,000 military personnel to around 200.

Thing is, were we to surge troops for defense to Greenland, there would likely be no objections from island inhabitants or Denmark. Both have been steadfast allies for decades.

Writing in the New York Times, David French sums up the current calculus succinctly: “Bullying Denmark to seize Greenland would be the equivalent of threatening a friend to steal his car after he already let you borrow it. The friendly gesture is nice and all, but isn’t it better if the car is yours?”

If the U.S. takes Greenland in an overt power grab, that’s the end of NATO as we know it, and that means fallout we can’t imagine, from the U.S. losing bases all over Europe to market meltdowns and who knows what else. 

Left-leaning commentator Brent Molnar laid out a long litany of potential dire consequences of a forced U.S. seizure of Greenland in a recent commentary. Beyond roiling longstanding military alliances and financial market assumptions, he offered this bleak take:

“This is the end of trust, and it does not reset. You cannot invade a democratic ally and then say ‘my bad’ four years later. The psychological break will be permanent.”

We are set to celebrate the 250th of our founding this year. Our history has much to be proud of; even the parts that are dark are acknowledged with the hope that were the exception, not the rule, that we can learn from them and strive to listen to our better angels, to recognize decency and values.

“Might makes right’’ is not one of those values.

Those are for the baddies. Let’s steer clear of them.

Jim Buchanan is retired. He is a former Editorial Page Editor for the Asheville Citizen-Times and writes for Carolina Commentary.