Five years after Donald Trump made headlines by canceling a trip to Copenhagen over Denmark’s refusal to sell Greenland, the U.S. president-elect is reigniting the controversy. In several recent posts on Truth Social, the social network he owns, the New York businessman has declared that “ownership and control” of Greenland — an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark — ”is an absolute necessity.” In response, the Danish government has announced an investment of at least €1.3 billion ($1.35 billion) to bolster Greenland’s defense.
Trump — who will begin his second term in the White House on January 20 — has not limited himself to pushing for the annexation of Greenland. His recent online posts have also challenged the territorial sovereignty of Panama, disputing its control over the Canal, and Canada, which he referred to as “the 51st state.” While the Republican’s aspiration to incorporate the world’s largest island — excluding Australia, which is classified as a continent — might seem far-fetched, it revives longstanding U.S. ambitions. Washington previously sought to claim this strategic territory during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In their book The Divider, journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser chronicle Trump’s fixation on Greenland. “I love maps. And I always said, ‘Look at the size of this. It’s massive. That should be part of the United States,’” Trump remarked in a 2019 interview before the book’s release.
Greenland, geographically part of North America, is an island of immense geostrategic importance and boasts rich natural resources, including hydrocarbons and rare earth elements. Spanning nearly 849,420 square miles — four times the size of Spain — approximately 80% of the island is covered by an ice sheet. Despite its vast expanse, Greenland has a population of only 57,000, making it one of the least densely populated regions in the world.
In August 2019, Trump canceled an official trip to Copenhagen via Twitter after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen refused to discuss the potential sale of Greenland. “The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!” Trump tweeted. Just days earlier, The Wall Street Journal had reported that Trump intended to negotiate the purchase of the island during his visit, and the Republican had no qualms about admitting this goal.
On December 22, the U.S. president-elect once again provoked Prime Minister Frederiksen by announcing on Truth Social the appointment of PayPal co-founder Ken Howery as the future U.S. ambassador to Copenhagen. In his message, Trump added: “For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”
Three days later, in another post, Trump wished a Merry Christmas not only to “the wonderful soldiers of China, who are lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal” and “Governor Justin Trudeau of Canada” — instead of prime minister — but also to “the people of Greenland […] who want the U.S. to be there.” He reiterated that controlling the island “is needed by the United States for National Security purposes.”
A hypothetical acquisition of Greenland would not be unprecedented in U.S. history. Washington previously purchased territories such as Florida from Spain, Louisiana from France, and Alaska from Russia. It would also not be the first time Denmark has sold territory to the United States. In 1917, Denmark sold the Caribbean islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix — formerly known as the Danish West Indies — to the U.S. for $25 million, which became known as the United States Virgin Islands.
U.S. interest in Greenland dates back to at least 1867, when a State Department report highlighted the island’s strategic location and abundant natural resources. “We should purchase Iceland and Greenland, but especially the latter. The reasons are political and commercial,” the report noted. However, a formal attempt to acquire Greenland did not occur until 1946, just after World War II. President Harry Truman offered $100 million in gold bullion for the island, but Denmark rejected the offer. Despite this, the U.S. already maintains a presence on Greenland: the Pituffik military base, established in 1943 during Nazi Germany’s occupation of Denmark, serves as a “strategic location for missile defense and space surveillance missions,” according to the U.S. Space Force, which was established by Trump in 2019.
Denmark’s investment in defense
Greenland was a colony administered by Copenhagen from the 18th century until 1953, when a new constitution integrated the island into the Kingdom of Denmark, granting Greenlanders Danish citizenship. Following a 1979 referendum, Greenland became an autonomous territory of Denmark, and its powers were significantly expanded in 2009 after another referendum. However, Greenland’s defense and foreign policy, despite being outside the European Union, remain entirely dependent on Denmark.
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede said in response to Trump’s comments. Hours later, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced a substantial increase in defense spending for Greenland. While Poulsen did not provide an exact figure — describing it as “a double digit billion amount” in Danish kroner — Danish media estimate the investment to be at least $1.35 billion. According to the minister, the funds will go toward purchasing two patrol vessels, long-range drones, additional military personnel, dog sleds for ground security, and modernizing one of Greenland’s three main airports to accommodate F-35 fighter jets. “We have not invested enough in the Arctic for many years, now we are planning a stronger presence,” Poulsen stated.
Following the 2021 elections, the ruling party in Greenland, Inuit Ataqatigiit — a left-wing, environmentalist, and pro-independence party — fulfilled its campaign promise by suspending hydrocarbon and uranium exploration. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that Greenlandic waters could hold up to 17.5 billion barrels of undiscovered crude oil and 4.19 trillion cubic meters of natural gas. The island also contains deposits of iron, aluminum, nickel, platinum, tungsten, titanium, and copper, as well as vast quantities of rare earth elements. These elements are crucial for the energy transition and the electronics and defense sectors, industries in which China currently holds a virtual monopoly on global production.
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Publish date : 2024-12-30 19:42:00
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