Trump is right. Greenland is of enormous geopolitical strategic importance. So is the Panama Canal, Canada, and, for that matter, Ukraine. That does not mean that America must annex these territories to protect its national security interests or the security interests of the free world. There are many other pieces of real estate where the USA has a strategic interest in control and stability: the Suez Canal, the Straight of Hormuz, and the Malacca Straight, to name a few. The US relies on its diplomatic ties with the bordering countries and its navy to protect these interests. The same mechanism would work for America’s interest in Greenland.
Because of its location, size, climate, and sparsity of population Greenland is a unique piece of real estate. A look at the map gives you an immediate view of its dominance in the arctic region, its continent-like size, its proximity to Canada, and its pathway between the Far East, China, and Russia. The USA has long before Trump recognized the strategic importance of Greenland, particularly with respect to defense against missile attack from the former Soviet Union. Under a 1951 treaty between Denmark and the USA, it has maintained a military foothold on the island of Greenland. While today this presence is limited to one US base, Pituffik, with only a couple of hundred Americans, during the cold war it has at times stationed ten thousand troops there in more than a dozen bases. If so desired, America could easily and quickly re-enlarge its footprint in consultation and agreement with the people of Greenland and the Danish government.
Aside from the military dimensions of the strategic importance of Greenland there are economic, commercial, and logistical reasons for American interest in Greenland. With the now obvious global warming trend, which ironically is downplayed, ignored, or denied by the Trump administration, the sea-lanes North and West of Greenland are opening up, significantly shortening the route between Europe and Asia via the elusive North-West passage, and reducing the reliance on the Panama Canal for transoceanic maritime travel. America has long accepted the responsibility to keep global sea-lanes open, an obligation it inherited from England after the demise of the British Empire, which is the main reason why it has built and maintained the largest global naval fleet. Greenland and Canada’s Nunavut, North-West, and Yukon territories, provide access to the North-West passage and can thus control these newly opening sea-lanes. The strategic importance of Greenland is evident in this new constellation. Finally, although not fully explored, it looks to be certain that Greenland is rich in highly desired natural resources, ranging from oil and gas to precious metals and rare earth minerals.
So yes, there are many good reasons to acknowledge the strategic interest America has in Greenland and concede that previous administrations have failed to fully recognize its importance. America has ample reason to build a comprehensive strategy towards protection of its interests in the Arctic region and Greenland in particular. But you don’t have to own the place to secure those interests.
America is fortunate that it shares its presence in the arctic region (by way of Alaska) with a preponderance of friendly nations: Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and the Scandinavian countries. In today’s world, only Russia presents a direct security threat to our interests in the arctic region. Canada and each of the Scandinavian countries are partners with the USA in NATO. And, as Greenland is an autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is part of this friendly confine.
Failing an interest of Greenland and Denmark to sell the territory to the United States (like Russia once sold Alaska), the obvious path to pursue in this case is the creation of a new alliance, preferably under US leadership, taking ownership of the strategic interests emanating from Greenland. While, in a different day and age, Russia should be considered a participant in such Arctic alliance, that is not a realistic option if Russia does not give up on its imperialistic designs in Ukraine and other regions that at one time or another were part of the Russian or Soviet empire. We cannot wait for that to happen, so it will be up to the USA, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark to get to the table and work out a strategic plan for the management of the Western interests in Greenland and the Arctic at large. Such plan should deal with the military defense of the region, it should assert the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the alliance partners, it should accept the responsibility for open sea-lanes via the North-West passage, and it should pledge industrial and commercial cooperation in the development of the region’s natural resources.
Trump’s declared intent to annex Greenland could only be accomplished by military means, an unthinkable path to follow that would not be supported by the American people, would create a irreconcilable conflict within NATO and with America’s northern neighbor, and provide Putin and Xi a free pass to further pursue their territorial ambitions. By contrast, a strategic alliance as proposed herein would further isolate Putin, show the world America’s principled and responsible leadership, and give the USA another leg up in the geopolitical contest with its adversaries.
It won’t be easy. The design, negotiation, and implementation of a new strategic alliance will require not only political will, but high-level diplomacy by seasoned and skilled emissaries (rarities that are being threatened by DOGE initiatives), and a willingness to heavily invest in infrastructure and defense assets (the US only has two functional arctic icebreakers in service). But it beats the alternative proposed by Trump.