The dispatch of First Son Donald Trump Jr. to Greenland has revitalized speculation that the incoming President Trump will attempt to purchase the world’s largest island. President Trump, during his first presidency, was explicit about a desire to purchase Greenland, calling the transaction “an absolute necessity.” Greenland, meanwhile, has been equally clear that it is not for sale.
Let’s consider why Trump has eyes for Greenland.
Emerging Resources
The icecaps are melting and as they do, the geopolitical implications will be profound. Whereas for much of modern history, Greenland and the Arctic have been an inaccessible wasteland, the melting icecaps are sure to improve access to the seas and lands of Greenland, and to the northern climes of our globe, generally. The result of improved access will be one, (arguably) the ability to harvest untapped resources, and two, the emergence of sealines where once there was only ice.
No doubt front of mind for Trump is Greenland’s abundance of natural resources, including oil, gas, and rare earth minerals that are increasingly in demand for their use in emerging green technologies like electric cars and wind turbines. The purchase of Greenland would perhaps allow the US to gain ground on China, who currently “dominates the global rare earth production and has already threatened to restrict the export of critical minerals and associated technologies, ahead of Trump’s second term,” CNN reported.
“There is no question at all that Trump and his advisers are very concerned about the stranglehold that China appears to have,” Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at the University of London, told CNN. “I think Greenland is really about keeping China out.”
And as the ice melts, shipping routes are opening. In the last decade, Arctic shipping increased 37 percent. As transit through the waters of Greenland increases, so does the value of the island.
Strategic Value
Greenland’s strategic value with respect to the Arctic is obvious. But the island also holds strategic value with respect to US-European relations, and with respect to security implications stemming from a revisionist Russia. The US already has a military presence on Greenland, at Pituffik Air Base (formerly Thule Air Base), which hosts the 821st Space Base Group, the 12th Space Warning Squadron, and the 23rd Operations Squadron. In all, about 200 active-duty US Air Force and Space Force personnel are stationed at Pituffik, which holds the distinction as the Department of Defense’s northernmost installation. Were Trump to purchase the island, the Pentagon would likely look to expand the American presence in Greenland, as a show of solidarity with NATO, and as a bulwark against Russian incursions in the region.
Will It Happen?
Greenland has been perfectly clear how it views the proposed acquisition.
“We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our years-long struggle for freedom,” wrote Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede on Facebook last month.
Kuupik V. Kleist, a former Greenland PM, reiterated the unlikelihood of a sale: “I don’t see anything in the future that would pave the way for a sale. You don’t simply buy a country or a people.”
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
