Trump's options in Greenland

S President Donald Trump has bent diplomacy full circle.

- F S AIJAZUDDIN

He has reversed interstate relations to a pre-Westphalian age.

The conduct of international political relations between states were enshrined in the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia. It introduced the concept of territorial integrity, that "states, regardless of size, have the right to self-governance". Sovereignty shifted from a personal credo of kings to a national concept of citizen states.

That treaty brought a long-sought peace to Europe after centuries of internecine conflict. By 1648, a mature China was already midway between its ancient Ming and the Qing dynasties, and India had seen over a century of consolidated rule by five Mughal emperors, from Babar to his great-grandson Shah Jahan.

Since then, international borders have undergone change—sometimes by force (Hitler's Anschluss in 1938), by smokeless invasion (Nehru's annexation of Goa in 1961), by occupation (Israel into Palestine), or by timely purchase.

Trump can be forgiven for offering to buy Greenland from Denmark. He is imitating precedent. In 1803, the US purchased Louisiana from France for $15 million. This purchase doubled America's size, making it one of the largest nations in the world.