Trump and Greenland: Ice on Fire

Trump isn't crazy, as some say, and he is the most powerful man in the world. That's why we must pause and analyze when he blurts one of his many threats, such as his declared intentions to annex Greenland: "Greenland is a big real estate deal for us, and we also need it for national security reasons."

What are Trump's desires for that piece of land?

The island's strategic position in the Arctic and its wealth of resources, such as rare earths, crucial in the context of climate change, are some of the US President's motivations.

Greenland is the largest island in the world, covering more than two million km². It has an area equivalent to the combined area of Venezuela and Colombia. It’s rich in oil, gas, and other natural resources, especially strategic minerals of crucial military and commercial importance.

Feldspar, titanium, graphite, vanadium, nickel, lignite, sulfur, zinc, cryolite, as well as coal, and even rubies and diamonds can all be found on this island, where a total of 43 of the 50 strategic minerals are found, including the coveted rare earths.

Trump intends to seize all of this in his chaotic race to win every competition, while also posing an explicit provocation to Europe, and especially to the government and citizens of that island, an autonomous territory under the sovereignty of Denmark, of which it was a colony.

Countering the influence of China and Russia in the region is spurring the White House president, who has eyed on the New Polar Silk Road, another trade opportunity between China, Europe, and the US itself, which shortens times and distances by avoiding the need to navigate the Suez Canal or circumnavigate Africa.

Added to this are US military interests, which have their only installation north of the Arctic Circle in northern Greenland, in Pituffick, Thule City, strategically located there.

At one point, up to 15,000 US troops have been stationed at this military base, which specializes in detecting satellites and ballistic missiles.

Trump, who had already expressed intentions regarding the Danish island in 2019 and 2021, has not ruled out resorting to economic or military coercion to seize the Arctic territory, which he describes as "key to US security." But the telephone warning from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, referring to statements by regional president Múte B. Egede, was loud and clear: "Greenland is not for sale" and its future "can only be decided by the citizens" of the island.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff