HR0628 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0628 LRB104 20356 ECR 33811 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, For more than seven decades, the United States has anchored its national security and global leadership in alliances founded on mutual defense, shared sacrifice, and respect for sovereignty, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Denmark, a sovereign ally of the United States and the governing authority over Greenland, is a founding and steadfast member; and

WHEREAS, Greenland is an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark, whose people enjoy self-government, democratic rights, and protection under international law, and any attempt to seize or annex its territory by force would constitute an act of aggression against a treaty ally of the United States; and

WHEREAS, Public statements and threats by President Donald J. Trump advocating or entertaining the invasion or forcible acquisition of Greenland represent a profound repudiation of America's commitments to its allies and an unprecedented willingness to contemplate war against nations that have stood alongside the United States for generations; and

WHEREAS, The United States Armed Forces are trained, educated, and morally conditioned to defend allies, deter aggression, and preserve peace, not to plan or execute wars of conquest against friendly nations with whom American service members have trained, fought, and bled; and

WHEREAS, Danish service members fought alongside American troops following the attacks of September 11, 2001, including in Afghanistan, where Denmark suffered significant casualties for a nation of its size, demonstrating loyalty, courage, and sacrifice in defense of shared values; and

WHEREAS, Ordering the United States military to plan or prepare for an invasion of Greenland would force service members into a perverse inversion of their training and ethics, compelling them to treat allies as enemies and to weaponize institutions designed for collective defense into instruments of betrayal; and

WHEREAS, Such planning, even if framed as hypothetical or procedural, would erode the moral foundations of civilian-military relations by compelling officers and enlisted personnel to reconcile obedience with actions that are clearly immoral, irrational, and contrary to the traditions of American decency; and

WHEREAS, The transformation of the United States from guarantor of collective security into aggressor against NATO would shatter alliance trust, destabilize global security, and signal to adversaries that American treaty commitments are contingent, transactional, and revocable at the whim of a single leader; and

WHEREAS, A war of aggression against Greenland would directly violate the Charter of the United Nations, to which the United States is a founding signatory, and which was established to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war" by prohibiting the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state; and

WHEREAS, Such an invasion would inflict untold misery upon the people of Greenland, subjecting a small population to fear, displacement, and violence for no legitimate defensive purpose while simultaneously placing American servicemen and servicewomen in harm's way to prosecute a war that serves no national security interest; and

WHEREAS, The burden of restraining reckless and destructive uses of military power does not rest with the armed forces, whose duty is lawful obedience, but with civilian institutions and elected representatives charged with upholding constitutional governance and the rule of law; and

WHEREAS, Silence or acquiescence by political leaders in the face of calls for aggressive war against allies risks normalizing ideas that would once have been disqualifying, unthinkable, or grounds for removal from positions of responsibility; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, any proposal, threat, or effort to invade, annex, or forcibly seize Greenland or any other territory of a United States treaty ally; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express support for the United States' enduring commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to the sovereignty of allied nations, and to the principle that disputes among friends are resolved through diplomacy, not violence; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we affirm that wars of aggression against allies are morally indefensible, strategically catastrophic, and incompatible with the values and obligations of the United States under international law; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call upon all elected officials, regardless of party or office, to reject rhetoric and policies that would place American service members in the position of betraying allies and committing acts of unjust war; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our commitment to peace, alliance, and the rule of law; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S. Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader, and the Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).