The arrival in Denmark on October 30 was seen in Copenhagen as a dangerous move for Trump for Greenland. He presented his qualifications before being officially sworn in as the new U.S. ambassador to the United States. … to the king frederick At Christiansborg Palace.
During a brief exchange with a journalist, Kenneth Howley He commented that defense cooperation, strengthening trade ties, and cooperation with Denmark on Arctic security concerns are priorities. “I also really want to travel, but also meet people and learn about the culture of the kingdom…including the Faroe Islands and Greenland,” he continued, subtly confirming the Danish government’s concerns.
Relations between Denmark and the United States, long-time allies, have been strained since President Trump openly expressed his ambition to seize Greenland, Denmark’s vast resource-rich Arctic territory, “in some capacity,” citing security concerns.
The Prime Minister of Denmark is Mette FrederiksenWhen he visited Greenland in April last year, he appealed directly to Washington, warning in English that “we cannot annex another country’s territory, even if the argument is over security.” He made it clear that Denmark would resist.
In August, his foreign minister was outraged by an intelligence report confirming a covert influence operation by American nationals in Greenland aimed at stirring up opposition to the Danish government in Greenland, and summoned the then head of the American delegation. Now, the profile is Kenneth Howley It allows a glimpse of the next steps in Washington’s strategy with thin threads and the latest generation.
Diplomacy is made in Silicon Valley
Ken, as the US president calls him, represents a new generation of diplomats: technocrats with a global outlook, financial connections and business backpacks. Born in Texas in 1975, he studied economics at Stanford University, where he met Peter Thiel. They co-founded PayPal, one of the pioneering platforms for digital payments, in 1998.
Howery played a key role in the early expansion of the company, which was later acquired by eBay. The now-ambassador then co-founded Founders Fund, a venture capital firm that has backed major companies such as Facebook, SpaceX and Palantir.
His career in Silicon Valley gave him a global vision of innovation, technological geopolitics, and business leadership. He has been recognized as a “young global leader” by the World Economic Forum, and he did not come to Denmark just to retire; Taking a new step in a vast orbit.
With this vision in mind, Danish parliamentarians, after a lengthy debate, succeeded in confirming the new ambassador in the Senate just before midnight on October 7th, with a vote of 51 in favor and 47 against. According to sources who took part in the debate, the main reason for his reluctance is the fact that he is perceived to be in a more disadvantaged position. venture capital investor than traditional diplomats.
He served as ambassador to Sweden from 2019 to 2021, during President Trump’s first term. There he promoted bilateral agreements on cybersecurity and polar exploration, and facilitated exchanges between Swedish and American startups.
He organized barbecues, personally took care to give the highest points to the meat he had brought all the way from Texas, and invited businessmen and investors of all kinds in very informal situations.
It is not yet clear where in Copenhagen they will be based, given that the mansion at 259 Strandvegen, which has been the official residence of the American ambassador for decades, is under construction. There aren’t many properties in Denmark’s capital that can match Mr. Howley’s 8,000-square-foot million-dollar home on the Colorado River in Austin.
“Modern diplomacy cannot ignore technology. Ambassadors need to understand how innovation changes international relations.”
Despite not having an address yet, the new ambassador wasted no time in waiting and began meeting with business leaders, researchers and representatives of the Danish government. The goal is to position the embassy as a bridge between U.S. innovation and Denmark’s priorities in sustainability, defense, and digitalization.
“Modern diplomacy cannot ignore technology. “Ambassadors must understand how innovation changes international relations,” he explains to his interlocutors, promising to facilitate the entry of Danish technology companies into the U.S. market. In the current commercial context, having the key to the US market will definitely allow you to make friends and purchase wills.
In the Arctic, we are proposing joint initiatives in climate research. polar infrastructure and maritime security. In public, he has cited climate change and Russian influence as strategic arguments and challenges, and defended the need to increase the U.S. presence in the region.
His straightforward, down-to-earth style, more typical of a CEO than an ambassador, disappears as soon as territorial sovereignty is mentioned, leaving the issue vague and sinister. He declined to confirm or deny Trump’s plan, repeating that “the people of Greenland have the right to choose their own future.”
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