The U.S. attempt to land-grab Greenland should not be very surprising, but it does raise questions about NATO unity. With Trump’s presidency, one can never know his next step; he seems to govern based on impulse and personal whim. He does as he pleases and is enabled this time around by a cadre of loyalists, which contrasts with his first administration, whose members have seemingly fallen out of favour and turned against him. Why does he obsess over Greenland? I think the question can be easily answered on several points, one being that he really does not care for Greenland and that his claims for the United States to control the island are merely him asserting his power because he can. Although there is a clear strategic purpose for the U.S. to own and use Greenland in the sense of military and naval control of the region, which would ensure control against Russia and China, it could be the case that through Trump’s love for playing the strongman, more military-minded figures behind him are using this attribute to further their own goals and intentions.
Military Purpose
In terms of strategic positioning, Greenland holds significant strategic value for the U.S. due primarily to its unique geographic location. Its position in the North Atlantic and Arctic makes it a useful outpost for U.S. defence operations. The island already hosts a multitude of important U.S. military assets, including the Pituffik Space Base, which is the northernmost U.S. military installation and is used for missile warning and missile defence through space surveillance and satellite operations. These installations were developed on the island in response to Nazi German aggression during World War II and have remained a key component of U.S. and NATO defence and military operations against various adversaries. For the U.S., having control of the island means it is able to monitor Russia’s northern fleet entering the Atlantic, and it also acts as an extremely important point of defence for North America against any potential transpolar attacks.
Geopolitical Purpose
In terms of geopolitics, the island serves as an extraordinary buffer against potential Russian and Chinese expansion in the Arctic, which, for those with a keen interest in global competition and geopolitics, is becoming one of the most momentous battlegrounds for control. For example, Russia has in fact militarised its zone as it seeks influence and dominance in the region, while China, which self-describes as a near-Arctic state, uses investment and shipping routes as a form of power projection to justify its interest. Therefore, for the U.S., having control over Greenland means it can better block China and Russia from establishing meaningful footholds in the region that could threaten North American security or potentially disrupt NATO’s deterrence doctrine.
Economic and Resources
One cannot examine interest in land acquisition without mentioning the important topic of natural resources and their economic benefits. Greenland is rich in rare earth minerals that are critical for electronics, advanced energy technologies, and military hardware—resources currently dominated by China. Therefore, if the U.S. were able to secure control of these rare earth minerals, it would inevitably reduce supply-chain vulnerabilities and bolster economic security in a global context. Some experts also note the possibility of oil and gas deposits on the island, resources the U.S. would clearly seek to secure in order to prevent Russia or China from accessing them. This would grant the U.S. greater influence over emerging Arctic trade, which includes key chokepoints for future international shipping routes.
Emerging Trade Routes
Due to environmental changes caused by climate change, new shipping lanes are opening up, including the Northwest Passage and the Transpolar Sea Route. These routes could shorten transit times between Asia and Europe by thousands of miles compared to traditional routes such as the Panama Canal or the Suez Canal. Greenland’s location means that whoever controls the island would have the ability to monitor and influence traffic passing through these routes, thereby enhancing strategic advantage and regional security.
In general, as stated earlier, I believe Trump’s interest is largely polemical, as he enjoys the geopolitical dance of sabre-rattling. However, I do believe that key U.S. personnel within military and economic institutions have a keen interest in using Trump’s approach to international polemics and negotiation to further their own strategic agendas through Greenland’s takeover.
BakuTiflis 