In the 1930s, Adolf Hitler tested the limits of the international order step by step.
He challenged borders, dismissed diplomatic norms, and assumed rival powers would hesitate rather than confront him directly.
Those early moves were not initially met with war, but with disbelief, accommodation, and delay. Only later did they come to be seen as warning signs of a much larger rupture.
Nearly a century on, echoes of that period are being seen again as tensions rise over Greenland and the future of Western alliances.
Historical parallel
Presură said Trump’s Greenland ambitions mirror Hitler’s invasion of Poland, arguing imperial coercion is obsolete. He said past U.S. leaders framed interventions as defending democracy, while modern Americans no longer tolerate forceful actions without political consequences.