The world woke to reports of dramatic and controversial actions by the United States that have unsettled allies and drawn intense scrutiny. In early January, U.S. forces captured Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela, in an overnight military operation that brought him to New York to face charges—a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations Security Council and other global leaders as a dangerous precedent. At the same time, President Donald Trump reignited discussion about acquiring Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, with rhetoric that has alarmed European partners and triggered firm rejection from both Danish and Greenlandic leaders.

Allies within NATO and across Europe have expressed concern that these actions and statements strain longstanding diplomatic norms and could complicate cooperation on shared security issues. Supporters of Trump defend his approach as an assertion of U.S. strength and strategic interests, while critics argue that it represents a significant departure from post-World War II international practice.