Donald Trump Jr. landed in Nuuk, Greenland Jan. 7, after his father, president-elect Donald Trump, recently resurfaced past claims that he plans to buy the island, saying that the acquisition is “an absolute necessity” for the U.S. to own in order for “economic security.”
Greenland—which is currently a part of Denmark but has authority over its own internal affairs—strategically separates the U.S. from Europe. From a security standpoint, the country sits in an ideal location to repel an attack if one were to come, especially from Russia.
Greenland’s land is also a cache of natural resources, from oil and gas to rare earth metals such as scandium and yttrium. To own Greenland is to have unlimited access to these bountiful elements, and in turn it would offer a way for the U.S. to secure control of global rare earth production, a field China currently dominates in.
Both of these benefits seem to appeal greatly to Trump.
Doug McDonald, a history and religion teacher at Summit, commented on the event, saying, “It will be interesting to see where this goes. It seems president-elect Trump is very serious about annexing Greenland.”
However, as of right now, both Denmark and Greenland have made it clear that Greenland is “not for sale.” Many local Greenlanders have responded with concern to the president-elect’s proposal, and some are even angry.
“He’s treating us like a good he can purchase,” said Aleqa Hammond, Greenland’s first female prime minister, in an interview with BBC.
The U.S. has previously attempted to buy Greenland several other times throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, in 1867, 1910, 1946, respectively. These attempts have fallen through, but it seems Trump is not willing to give up easily.
When asked by the New York Times journalist, David Sanger, if he can guarantee the world he won’t use “military or economic coercion” he replied, “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two.”
It is important to note that both the U.S. and Denmark (which includes Greenland) are a part of the NATO alliance. If the U.S. invaded Greenland, Article 5 of the alliance would take effect. Referring to the countries that are a part of NATO, the article states that “an armed attack against one or more of [the countries]…shall be considered an attack against them all.”
In theory, if the U.S. invaded Greenland, it would be seen as the aggressor and, although it is an ally, it would be targeted by the other members.
In addition to Greenland, Trump has also mentioned using military coercion to acquire the Panama Canal, and it seems he is serious in that regard as well. For many Americans these claims are unexpected, and perhaps worrisome.
“My concern is that it might usher in a new wave of American imperialism which I didn’t think was part of the campaign promises that Trump stated,” says McDonald.
For now, Trump’s threats of military force have not become a reality, but there may be serious danger if they do.
