President-Elect Donald Trump has claimed he wants to take control of Greenland, a highly populated island in the Arctic, from Denmark. The proposal was revealed towards the end of 2019, generating mixed reactions from the public, yet it might not be as crazy an idea as it seems.
Senior Sophia Serice was in disbelief when she first read the proposal, believing that there are more important issues at hand.
“Can’t we just focus on our own issues in the country instead of needless spending?” Serice said.
While initially surprised, sophomore Margaret Enloe understood the logic behind it.
“That’s pretty smart, because then he’d get the waters around Greenland too,” Enloe said
Greenland is actually a pretty valuable location, being rich in natural resources such as uranium and iron, vital to the production of technology, as well as oil which until now have been relatively unreachable. As the ice covering Greendland has started to melt, those resources are becoming increasingly accessible, gauging the interest of Trump along with other political figures.
The melting ice could also create new possible trading and shipping routes that could potentially cut a 22 day journey from the Pacific to Atlantic in half, while completely bypassing the Northern Sea Route controlled by Russia as well as the Panama and Suez Canal Routes. This would not only greatly limit the carbon footprint and pollution, but would also weaken Russian control over trade in the Arctic.
Greenland’s location is also strategically important to the United States, as it sits between North America and Europe, giving it access to both the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, and the U.S. operates Thule Air Base in Greenland, which is crucial for missile warning systems and space surveillance. More importantly, having control of Greenland would allow the U.S. to monitor activities from Russia and China, who are increasing their presence in the Arctic, while being in close proximity to several NATO allies.
While Trump’s interest in taking control of Greenland certainly has logic behind it, the Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen has made it clear that Greenland is not for sale to America nor any other country at this point in time.
