Large areas of this island are Arctic deserts because they receive so little rain. The average temperature in summer is in the mid-40s. The Greenland Ice Sheet takes up more than 80% of the total land area. The few regions free of ice have almost no trees. And extreme weather shifts include blinding blizzards. So why has U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for the United States to acquire Greenland?
The Danish territory holds a strategic location along with useful minerals.
President Donald Trump first expressed a desire for Greenland in 2019. He renewed his interest this month, saying the use of military force to acquire it was not off the table. The president has expressed concern about Russia and China increasing their presence around the island.
Denmark’s ambassador, Jesper Møller Sørensen, and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s chief representative to Washington, met with White House National Security Council officials on Thursday. They sought to dissuade President Trump from pursuing Greenland.
This isn’t the first time an American leader has expressed interest in the island. Shortly after the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, then-Secretary of State William Seward also discussed acquiring Greenland from Denmark. He wanted to make a broader push into the Arctic. Seward also noted the island was rich in natural resources, including coal. But the idea never advanced to a formal offer.
President William Howard Taft proposed a land exchange in 1910 that would have transferred Greenland to the United States. Denmark rejected the proposal.
At the outset of the Cold War, President Harry Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold to buy Greenland. He noted its strategic importance. During World War II, a U.S.-built airfield on the island served as a major refueling point for military planes on the way to Europe.
Again, Denmark declined the offer. But America retained military access. It even stored nuclear bombs on the island during the Cold War without Greenland’s knowledge.
A U.S. presence continues today at the remote Pituffik Space Base. The base is the U.S. Department of Defense’s northernmost site.
Coal, lead, zinc, and silver have been mined in Greenland since the 1900s. The first gold mine opened in 2004. The island also contains deposits of iron, copper, uranium, diamonds, and other minerals.
In the past, mineral resources were managed jointly by Denmark and Greenland. Greenland is populated by about 56,000 people, most of whom are Inuit. Citizens voted in 2008 to increase their autonomy. As of 2009, Greenlanders keep a greater percentage of oil and mineral revenue. Denmark works with the island’s political leaders to oversee its foreign relations and defense.
On January 6, the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom issued a “Joint Statement on Greenland.” It declared that Arctic security must be achieved “in conjunction with NATO allies.” It stressed that the UN Charter must be honored. The charter seeks to respect sovereign nations, their territory, and their borders.
The statement concludes, “Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”
He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the Earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place. — Acts 17:26
