Why does Trump need Greenland to be a part of the U.S.?

Why does america need management of Greenland? President Trump has made it clear that he thinks the U.S. wants to regulate the Arctic island to make sure the safety of America and and its NATO allies, some extent these allies — and Greenland — vehemently disagree with.

However there’s extra at play right here, together with a precious transport route and entry to mineral sources.

Here is what pursuits the U.S. concerning the semi-autonomous Danish territory:

“It is so strategic proper now” 

Greenland spans about 836,000 sq. miles, a lot of it coated by the Greenland Ice Sheet. It is house to solely round 60,000 folks and is a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark with its personal elected authorities.

Its location between the U.S., Russia and Europe makes it strategic for each financial and protection functions — particularly as melting sea ice has opened up new transport routes via the Arctic. Additionally it is the situation of the northernmost U.S. army base.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed the U.S. wants Greenland for nationwide safety functions.

“It is so strategic proper now,” he advised reporters on Sunday, Jan. 4. “Greenland is roofed with Russian and Chinese language ships all over … We want Greenland from the standpoint of nationwide safety, and Denmark isn’t going to have the ability to do it.”

“The People have a robust curiosity in overseeing the actions of overseas international locations in Greenland as a result of it is such an enormous safety asset for overseas states, and because of that, any funding or exercise, from the American viewpoint, could also be seen as a safety menace,” Frank Sejersen, affiliate professor on the College of Copenhagen, advised CBS Information earlier this yr.

Management over a brand new, precious route for transport

Melting sea ice round Greenland has created extra alternative to make use of the Northern Sea route — permitting shippers to avoid wasting tens of millions of {dollars} in gas by taking a shorter route between Europe and Asia that was lengthy solely satisfactory in hotter months.

A Russian business vessel, aided by an icebreaker, first traversed the route within the winter in February 2021.

Greenland’s underground sources

Greenland has reserves of oil, pure gasoline and extremely wanted mineral sources.

These mineral sources, which embody uncommon earth parts, “have solely been frivolously explored and developed,” Jose W. Fernandez, the U.S. Division of State’s undersecretary for financial development, power and the surroundings, stated at a Minerals Safety Partnership occasion in Greenland in November 2024.

Greenland could have important reserves of as much as 31 completely different minerals, together with lithium and graphite, in line with a 2023 report assessing the island’s sources. Each minerals are wanted to provide batteries for electrical autos and a wide selection of different applied sciences.

At the moment, lithium manufacturing is dominated by Australia, Chile and China, whereas China produces about 65% of the world’s graphite, the report famous.

Greenland additionally has the potential to supply a big quantity of uncommon earth minerals similar to Neodymium, which is used to make the magnets utilized in electrical motors, the 2023 report stated. 

China produces about 70% of uncommon earth parts, and demand for uncommon earth minerals continues to develop with technological advances and the fast unfold of shopper units that require the sources.

There are, nonetheless, important hurdles to mining in Greenland, together with environmental and value points.

Most Greenlanders do not wish to be American

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated Tuesday that his nation desires good relations with the U.S. and didn’t “suppose that there is likely to be a takeover of the nation in a single day, and that’s the reason we’re insisting that we would like good cooperation.”

A ballot performed a yr in the past confirmed that 85% of Greenlanders didn’t wish to be a part of america.

“He cannot simply take it like that,” Daniel Rosing, a trainee electrician who stated he was pleased with being a Greenlander, advised CBS Information forward of a go to final yr to the island by Vice President JD Vance and his spouse.

A quick historical past of Greenland 

The Kingdom of Denmark started colonizing Greenland within the early 18th century, lots of of years after Vikings from the identical distant land first arrived to arrange residency. 

It was not till World Struggle II that the U.S. established a presence on the island, when then-Danish Ambassador to the U.S., Henrik Kauffmann, refused to give up to the rule of Denmark’s Nazi occupiers.

Denmark was liberated from Nazi occupation in 1945, and the European nation carried on as a colonial ruler of Greenland till 1953, when it totally laid out its relations with the island as a semi-autonomous territory.

The U.S. by no means left the Pituffik House Base, which was established throughout WWII.