Terror researcher Carsten Bagge Laustsen of Aarhus University brushed his compatriots' fear aside as unnecessary alarmism, yet admitted that their apprehension may be partially justified.
"Anti-Americanist sentiment is high in the Middle East, and is even higher among the Middle Eastern Islamic terrorist organizations, so once you become associated with the American warfare, the attitude towards Denmark is adversely affected," Carsten Bagge Laustsen told TV2. "For a terrorist who resides or has roots in Denmark, it is quite obvious that the Danish participation in the war may be used as a pretext for ‘legitimizing' a terrorist attack," he said.
Given that the heads of the Nordic countries only a month ago visited the White House, where they came under a lot of praise from Barack Obama himself, it is no surprise that John Kerry's visit to Denmark has been hailed as a token of American favor in Copenhagen.
"It means a lot. A US Foreign Minister has many things on his agenda, so it is great of him to come to a small country like Denmark so soon after the Nordic summit during which Denmark's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister received much attention from both Barack Obama and John Kerry," Torsten Jansen, former press and cultural attaché at the Danish Embassy in Washington and partner at the LEAD Agency told Danish Radio.
Earlier, Kerry paid a visit to Norway, meeting with the country's Prime Minister Erna Solberg. During his stay in Denmark, Kerry is meeting Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen and Queen Margrethe II.
Today in #Norway, @JohnKerry observed #climatechange effects, Blomstrand Glacier.
— Department of State (@StateDept) June 16, 2016
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