Majid Mohammad Sharifi – Assistant Professor of International Relations, Khwarizmi University
Repeatedly repeating the possibility that the US should take control of Greenland, Trump has now begun efforts to implement this plan and has even had a conversation with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen about this. The conversation was reportedly tense, with the Danish Prime Minister emphasizing that Greenland is unsellable.
Previously, Donald Trump had also raised the idea of purchasing Greenland during his first term in office, describing it as an inevitable necessity to ensure America’s international security. In Trump’s view, control of Greenland is so important to the United States that if it is not achieved through diplomatic and conciliatory channels, the United States may resort to unfriendly measures. However, he has never clearly explained the nature of these unfriendly measures.
In a controversial statement, he explicitly claimed that the United States will eventually acquire Greenland because this action is necessary for world security. Considering these statements and their repetition by Trump and some members of his cabinet, the important question is why Greenland is so important to Trump, and what goals does he pursue by trying to buy or control this region by any means possible?
It seems that Trump’s interest in controlling Greenland should be considered in terms of the importance of this region from various dimensions. First, Greenland is situated along the shortest route between America and Europe, and controlling this region will enable the United States to make the route to Europe shorter and less expensive. Such a development is important from a strategic perspective for the United States.
Second, the presence of rare mineral resources, especially uranium, has increased the importance of Greenland. The need for America and concerns about China’s access to these resources have led Trump to consider the acquisition of Greenland a strategic victory for the United States. The resources available in Greenland are significant because they are found in large quantities that are not available elsewhere.
Undoubtedly, controlling these resources can be considered a significant strategic advantage for the United States. According to analysts and experts, Greenland’s valuable mineral reserves, including rare metals, and economic opportunities arising from melting ice and access to new energy sources have made this region a focus for competition between global powers.
In addition, the United States is now increasingly competing with China and Russia over the natural resources of the Arctic and access to strategic reserves such as lithium, cobalt, and graphite, which has made the Greenland region more important in the competition between great powers. The United States, China, and Russia have been competing for access to the Arctic for years, and each of these countries has sent exploration ships to the region. The United States heavily depends on China for some abundant minerals in the Arctic. Using these materials in communication technologies and military weapons has intensified the competition between the United States and China in this region.
Considering the increasing global demand for electric vehicles and renewable energy, Trump believes access to the resources of the Greenland region to be strategic for maintaining America’s position and ability to compete with China. Some analysts believe that the minerals available in the Greenland region are used in many areas, especially defense and military affairs. For this reason, the United States considers control over them vital to its national security. The United States seems to have fallen behind its competitors, especially China, in accessing these resources, which has led to Trump’s rush to control the Greenland region.
In general, it can be seen that Trump’s idea of controlling or purchasing the Greenland region stems from the strategic competition of great powers. Trump’s attempt to implement this idea should be considered a competition requirement with China. Trump is concerned about China’s and even Russia’s access to the valuable resources of this region and the Arctic and assumes control of Greenland to be the key to American superiority and dominance. Although the exact dimensions of Trump’s plan have not yet been clearly explained, increasing tensions can be expected during the implementation of this plan, which could affect American relations with Denmark and Europe.
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