What is described in the article is what appears to be happening and the time horizon is short and accelerated - probably within one year for steps 2-4.

See also Mutual defence clause (Article 42.7 TEU)

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/...

Lets totally ignore the ripple effect of such actions.

Not in the short term but the long term.

A lot of people are distracted with problems like how do I get this race condition fixed with a carefully written unit test.

You have to remember there are people that have a budget of unlimited money with the problem of "how do we capture greenland". Even crazier things like "how do we lower the birth rate of X" are other problems people have unlimited money to throw at.

Remember this for your entire life as you see history unfold.

Like with Nobel peace price. Trump did not get it but he influenced it indirectly as he was forcing himself in to it. Nobel committee was used to manufacture consent in takeover of Venezuela. Something similar will happen here. Denmark will try to appease - strategy that never works. But what can they do? What can anyone do against these huge rogue states? Nothing.