THE CONTEXT
Greenland gives the U.S. a huge strategic advantage over the Arctic and the northern hemisphere in general; moreover, the U.S. sees several economic opportunities in Greenland
Greenland finds itself in the centre of a major geopolitical flashpoint. U.S. President Donald Trump has recently threatened to annex Greenland, “one way or, the other”.
WHY IS THE U.S. RADAR STATION SITUATED IN GREENLAND?
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- At the time of World War II, Denmark had agreed for the U.S. to occupy Greenland and make military bases to protect it from German occupation.
- Both countries eventually became the founding members of NATO, and Denmark agreed to U.S. troops staying in Greenland.
- In 1951, they signed a treaty of the common defence of Greenland, which is in effect even today.
- In that sense, Greenland is already a vital part of the U.S. security system.
- The U.S. has built one of its most important radar stations at Pituffik base. At that time, it was built with the consent and cooperation of the Danish Government.
- It is the United States’ northernmost military base. U.S. has one operational base and about 200 soldiers in Greenland.
U.S. INTEREST IN GREENLAND: AN ANALYSIS
| Dimension | Key Points |
|---|---|
| Geostrategic Location | • Lies between North America, Europe, and Russia • Controls access to the Arctic (GIUK gap) (Greenland–Iceland–UK) |
| Military & Security | • Pituffik (Thule) Space Base – northernmost U.S. base • Missile early-warning & space surveillance systems • Monitoring Russian submarines & missile launches |
| Arctic Militarisation | • Russia expanding Arctic bases & icebreaker fleet • China declaring itself a “near-Arctic state” |
| Climate Change & Sea Routes | • Arctic ice melting • 30% rise in Arctic shipping • Northern Sea Route shorter than Suez |
| Economic Resources | • Oil, gas, rare earths, base metals • ~$4 trillion estimated resource value |
| Rare Earth Minerals (REEs) | • Critical for EVs, semiconductors, defence systems (F-35 jets) • China’s export restrictions exposed U.S. vulnerability |
| Energy Security | • Arctic holds 13% undiscovered oil & 30% gas |
| China Containment | • Chinese investments in Arctic infrastructure & mining • Polar Silk Road initiative |
Rare Earth Minerals (REEs) and its importance
| Rare Earth Minerals (REEs) in Greenland | • Greenland is rich in oil, hydrocarbon resources, rare earths, rare magnets, minerals and base metals more than any other geographical area in the world. • Greenland has $4 trillion worth of oil and rare mineral reserves. |
| China angle | • Outside of Greenland, only China has a monopoly over the vast rare earth minerals. • About 13% of undiscovered oil and 30% of gas worldwide is in the Arctic. • There are 17 elements on the Periodic Table essential for modern living, and they are found in abundance in China. • These elements are used in electric gadgets, electric vehicles, cars, mobile phones, lights, air-conditioners, and many more. |
| Japan | Japan is the only country that has managed to reduce its dependence on Chinese rare earth minerals from 90% to 50%. |
What will happen to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation?
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- The U.S. is one of the biggest players in NATO. The core pillar of NATO is collective defence, where an attack on one is considered an attack on all 32 countries, party to the North Atlantic Treaty organization.
- Any military action against Greenland will be an attack on Denmark, which will mean that one NATO member is attacking another NATO member, in effect dismantling the idea of collective defence.
- The U.S. is the primary strategic planner for NATO and is the largest contributor to NATO, with 70% of total defence spending contributed by the U.S.
The fallout: NATO is expected to collapse in the event of a U.S. attack on Greenland or Denmark. If NATO is dismantled, it will mean a huge overhaul for European defence systems. Defence planning, procurement, and command structure will be disintegrated.
Can America buy Greenland?
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- The U.S. has made attempts to purchase Greenland in the past as well. In 1867 and 1946. Greenland held such high strategic importance that in 1946, the U.S. made an offer of $100 million in gold to buy Greenland, but Denmark declined at the time.
- Recently, Washington made an unprecedented proposal offering anything between $10,000 and $100,000 to every Greenlander in cash to break away from Denmark and align with the U.S.
Counter voice:
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- Recently, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Britain and Denmark have issued a joint statement that only Denmark and Greenland could make decisions regarding Greenland.
- A recent survey shows that about 85% of Greenland residents don’t want to leave the Danish union to become a part of the U.S. While 84% support eventual independence, most prefer to be with Denmark. Only 6% chose the U.S.
The capitalist geopolitical scandal
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- In 2021, Mr. Trump was seen saying, “I am in real estate. And when I look at it on a map, I feel we should have it. It is no different from a real estate deal.”
- It is observed that a short while after he expressed interest in Greenland, some of the world’s wealthiest people made explicit investments in Greenland. The investments were made via KoBold, which is a privately held company whose main investors include Breakthrough Energy, a climate and technology fund backed by Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and Jeff Bezos. The capitalist lobby is at the centre of this entire geopolitical scandal.
Conclusion
In the light of the U.S. attack on Venezuela, the possibility of a military annexation of the island looms over Denmark, Greenland and their NATO allies.
So, lets enjoy the hard-politics of moral realism of Machiavelli-“ends justify the means” before we become its victim in explicit sense.
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