Behind Trump’s threat: Why is Greenland so strategically important?

At a news conference astatine his Mar-a-Lago property successful Florida connected Tuesday, United States President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his tendency to get Greenland, which helium said was captious to American nationalist security.

The Republican leader, who is acceptable to beryllium inaugurated connected January 20, refused to regularisation retired utilizing subject oregon economical powerfulness to execute the extremity of taking implicit the autonomous Danish territory.

Trump has besides said helium wanted to marque Canada the 51st authorities of the US and prehend power of the Panama Canal, arsenic portion of his propulsion for US territorial expansion, since winning the elections successful November.

So wherefore does Trump privation to get Greenland — a territory that is 80 percent covered successful snowfall and is much than 3,000km (1,864 miles) from the US capital, Washington, DC? Is it the archetypal clip that the US has tried to get Greenland?

Where is Greenland? What’s its status?

Located betwixt the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, Greenland is the world’s largest land and geographically portion of North America. Though Australia is overmuch larger and is surrounded by water, it isn’t considered an land due to the fact that it’s a continent.

Greenland is location to immoderate 56,000 people, mostly Indigenous Inuit people.

Its capital, Nuuk, is person to New York (some 2,900km oregon 1,800 miles) than Copenhagen, which is located 3,500km (2,174 miles) to the east.

The land was nether Danish regularisation from the aboriginal 18th period until 1979, erstwhile it became a self-governing territory. Since 2009, Greenland has the close to state independency done a referendum.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede has called for independency from Denmark.

The Arctic land is 1 of Denmark’s 2 autonomous territories, the different 1 being the Faroe Islands.

Since Denmark is simply a portion of NATO, Greenland is by default a portion of the North Atlantic subject alliance.

Greenland is not a subordinate authorities of the European Union, but is associated with it arsenic 1 of the 25 overseas countries and territories (OCTs) of the EU. “OCT nationals are EU citizens,” an EU instrumentality website says. Hence, Greenlanders are considered to beryllium EU citizens.

In 1973, Greenland joined the now-defunct European Community with Denmark, but near successful 1985. The EU has replaced the European Community.

The EU has not officially commented connected Trump’s caller statements.

(Al Jazeera)

How person Greenland and Denmark reacted to Trump’s threats?

On December 23, Trump successful a station connected his Truth Social media level said that “the ownership and power of Greenland is an implicit necessity”.

To this, Greenland’s elected Prime Minister Egede said the land was not for sale. “Greenland is ours. We are not for merchantability and volition ne'er beryllium for sale. We indispensable not suffer our agelong conflict for freedom,” Egede said successful a written comment.

The Danish authorities announced it would boost defence spending successful Greenland to the tune of $1.5bn pursuing Trump’s tendency to instrumentality implicit the autonomous island.

On Tuesday, up of his lad Donald Trump Jr’s travel to Greenland, the US President-elect again posted connected his Truth Social level saying: “Greenland is an unthinkable place, and the radical volition payment tremendously if, and when, it becomes portion of our Nation ….”

Following Trump’s latest comments, Egede met with Danish King Frederik X successful Copenhagen connected Wednesday, but details of the gathering were not made public.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said connected Tuesday that “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”, portion its Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that the land had nary ambition to go a national authorities successful the United States.

Why does Trump privation Greenland?

This is not the archetypal clip Trump has expressed a tendency to instrumentality power of the island, which hosts a US subject base. Trump cancelled his travel to Copenhagen aft Denmark, a adjacent US ally, rejected his connection to bargain the land during his archetypal term.

Greenland offers the shortest way from North America to Europe. This gives the US a strategical upper-hand for its subject and its ballistic rocket early-warning system.

The US has expressed involvement successful expanding its subject beingness successful Greenland by placing radars successful the waters connecting Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom. These waters are a gateway for Russian and Chinese vessels, which Washington aims to track.

The land is besides incredibly affluent successful minerals, including uncommon world minerals utilized successful the manufacture of batteries and high-tech industry.

According to a 2023 survey, 25 of 34 minerals deemed “critical earthy materials” by the European Commission were recovered successful Greenland.

Greenland does not transportation retired the extraction of lipid and gas, and its mining assemblage is opposed by its Indigenous population. The system of the land is mostly reliant connected its sportfishing industry.

Has the US tried to bargain Greenland before?

Yes. The US has agelong expressed an involvement successful Greenland.

The US has considered purchasing Greenland astatine slightest twice, including successful 1867 and past successful 1946, erstwhile President Harry S Truman projected buying it for $100m. Denmark rejected the offer.

In 1867, the US bought Alaska from Russia. After this, US Secretary of State William H Seward attempted to negociate the acquisition of Greenland from Russia, but the effort failed.

The US occupied Greenland successful 1941 pursuing Nazi Germany’s penetration of Denmark during World War II. It established a subject and vigor beingness successful the land and American forces person maintained a imperishable beingness astatine Pituffik Space Base, antecedently known arsenic the Thule Air Base, successful Greenland’s northwest ever since.

While Greenland was inactive a Danish colony successful 1946, Truman pitched to bargain the land for $100m, an connection Denmark rejected. This was done nether Cold War secrecy and was lone made nationalist successful 1991 successful an Associated Press report.

The Mercator projection: How large is Greenland?

Some satellite maps contiguous tin beryllium misleading successful presumption of however ample Greenland really looks. The Arctic land is 2.17 cardinal quadrate kilometres (836,330 quadrate miles), making it astir 3 times the size of the US authorities Texas.

However, the Danish territory is perceived to beryllium larger based connected maps. This is due to the fact that modern satellite maps commonly usage a template called the Mercator projection, devised by European cartographer Geert de Kremer successful 1569. The projection has been criticised for distorting proportions of landmasses.

On the Mercator map, Greenland territory is shown to beryllium astir arsenic ample arsenic Africa. However, successful reality, 14 Greenlands tin acceptable wrong Africa.

Why did Trump’s lad sojourn Greenland?

Trump’s lad Donald Trump Jr arrived successful Greenland connected Tuesday. The Greenland authorities said that Trump Jr was visiting the land “as a backstage individual”, and Greenland’s representatives would not conscionable him.

Despite this, Trump took to his Truth Social level connected Monday, writing: “I americium proceeding that the radical of Greenland are ‘MAGA’”, referring to the Make America Great Again movement.

“My son, Don Jr, and assorted representatives, volition beryllium traveling determination to sojourn immoderate of the astir magnificent areas and sights.

“Greenland is an unthinkable place, and the radical volition payment tremendously if, and when, it becomes portion of our nation,” Trump added. “We volition support it, and cherish it, from a precise vicious extracurricular world.”

How has the satellite reacted?

Trump’s caller comments person drawn ire from immoderate European leaders.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rebuked Trump’s thought connected Wednesday. “Borders indispensable not beryllium moved by force. This rule applies to each country, whether successful the East oregon the West,” helium wrote connected his X account.

“In talks with our European partners, determination is an uneasiness regarding caller statements from the US. It is clear: We indispensable basal together.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told nationalist vigor connected Wednesday that determination was “no question of the EU letting different nations successful the world, whoever they whitethorn beryllium … onslaught its sovereign borders.”