Trump wants to buy Greenland: reasons for his interest in the largest island

Trump wants to buy Greenland: reasons for his interest in the largest island

On Tuesday, Donald Trump came in Greenland, the Arctic island, for whose acquisition his father, the designated President Donald Trump, a has expressed strong interest , although Greenland does not make it for sale

a relaxed visit with far -reaching speculation

Trump Jr. described the trip as "a bit of fun" and told CNN: "As an outdoor enthusiast, I am happy to travel to Greenland this week." But the visit has fueled speculation about his father's actual plans for this arctic territory.

revival of purchase plans

In December, Trump renewed the claims for US ownership to Greenland expressed in his first presidency and described it as " an absolute necessity ". In a social media Post , who announced the visit of his son, he said, Greenland would "benefit unmay", when it becomes part of the United States. "We will protect and maintain it, from a very malignant outside world," added Trump.

Strategic importance of Greenland

The designated President emphasizes that the island of the island is crucial for national security. However, experts point out that he may also have other aspects of Greenland in mind, such as the wealth of natural resources, to which Rare earths that could be more easily accessible through climate change.

a unique geopolitical location

Greenland is the largest island in the world and home of over 56,000 people. As a former Danish colony and now autonomous region of Denmark, it has a unique geopolitical situation that lies between the United States and Europe. The capital Nuuk is closer to New York than to Copenhagen.

The island has long been seen as a key to US security, in particular to ward off a possible attack from Russia, explained Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. The northwest passage shipping route runs along its coast and the island is part of the strategic maritime area of the Greenland-Island-Associated Kingdom.

History of buying requests

Trump is not the first US President who thought about buying Greenland. In 1867, when President Andrew Johnson Alaska acquired, he also the purchase of Greenland. At the end of the Second World War, the Truman Administration Denmark $ 100 million Island , as was reported by Danish media for the first time.

None of the offers was realized, but as part of a defense package from 1951, the US received an air force base, which is now known as a Pituffik Space Base, in the northwest of Greenland. It lies exactly between Moscow and New York and is the northernmost outpost of the US armed forces, equipped with a rocket warning system.

occurrence of rare minerals

What Trump may be interested in Greenland, the rich occurrence of natural resources, said Klaus Dodds, professor of geopolitics at the Royal Holloway, University of London. This includes oil and gas as well as the urgently needed rare earths, which are of crucial importance for electric cars, wind turbines of the green transition and the production of military devices.

Currently China dominates the global production less frequently and has already

economic opportunities by melting the ice

Schmelgende Eis and fast rising temperatures in the Arctic space give Greenland a foremost row in climate change, but some also see economic opportunities, while the economy is changing through the climate change. The loss of ice has opened shipping routes, increase the navigation times during the summer half year of the northern hemisphere. The arctic shipping traffic rose by 37% in decades until 2024, partly due to melting ice.

"Trump, I think, instinctively has the feeling that the Arctic melts" and recognizes the perceived opportunities, said Dodds. Although he warned that the conditions along these routes can often be dangerous and the melting ice could make the water even more difficult to navigate.

The question of feasibility

The governments of Denmark and Greenland decide to say that the Arctic nation would be for sale. "We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our years of struggle for freedom," wrote Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Eggede in a Facebook Post at the end of December.

kuupik V. Kleist, a former Prime Minister of Greenland, expressed that Trump spoke to US citizens rather than with Green countries. "I don't see anything in the future that would pave the way for a sale. You don't just buy a country or a people," he told CNN.

But Trump's statements come for Greenland at an interesting time, said Dodds. The government led by Inuit recently reinforced its demands for independence from Denmark. In his New Year address demanded the "captivation of the colonial period" solve.

"That brings Denmark in panic," said Dodds, who seems to focus more on his relationship with Greenland. In December, Denmark announced a significant increase in military spending on Greenland. Then the Danish royal family provided at the beginning of the January before that the symbol of the polar bear, which represents Greenland, emphasizes more.

a way to independence?

Greenland has tried to promote its independence through a diversification of his economy beyond fishing. In November it opened a New airport in nuuk as part of the plans to increase tourism. However, it continues to depend on a denmark grant of around $ 500 million annually, which has proven to be a great obstacle to independence.

This raises a very interesting question, said Dodds: "What would Greenland do if Trump would offer, for example, $ 1 billion a year to have a different kind of association?" Some Greenland politicians have indicated the idea of a special association, similar to the one that the United States have with the Marshall Islands, where Greenland has sovereignty, but also receives financial support from the USA, in exchange for agreements on certain US interests.

former Prime Minister Kleist said great skepticism that such an association could work. "I don't think that is of interest. Just think about how the USA dealt with its own indigenous peoples."

currently remains unclear how far Trump will pursue his expressed wish for the acquisition of Greenland after taking office. "Nobody knows whether it is boasting, a threat to achieve something else, or whether it is something he actually wants to implement," said Pram Gad.