“How Greenland can help the US restrain Russia and China — an analysis of the BBC Ukraine January 10, 21:20 Share: Only 60,000 people live on the largest island on Earth. people (Photo: Reuters) Donald Trump tried to buy Greenland at the end of his first presidential term, but Denmark refused to sell it – just like 80 years ago. Now Trump has returned to the idea even before returning to the White House — but”, — write on: ua.news
How Greenland can help the US restrain Russia and China — an analysis of the Ukrainian BBC Only 60,000 people live on the largest island on Earth. people (Photo: Reuters)
Donald Trump tried to buy Greenland at the end of his first term as president, but Denmark refused to sell it — just like 80 years ago. Now Trump has returned to this idea even before returning to the White House – but already with threats. Oleksiy Kalmykov, a journalist of the Ukrainian BBC, analyzed the situation. NV publishes his material under the rights of information cooperation.
Over the past five years, the military and economic importance of the largest island on the planet has only increased. All because of global warming, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the strengthening of the military and economic positions of China, the main rival of the United States.
Why did Trump like Greenland so much?
How rich Greenland is
More than 80% of the island is covered with ice. The population is only about 60,000 people. But there are a lot of fish near the shores, and minerals in the depths. And with the melting of the glaciers, it becomes easier and easier to extract them.
Greenland has oil, uranium and rare earth metals: neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium. They are vital for today’s high-tech industries, but more than 70% of them are mined in China, with which the US has been waging a trade war for 8 years, and Trump threatens to increase the pressure.
In response to Trump’s threats, China in December limited supplies to America of gallium, germanium and antimony, which are widely used in the defense industry.
The USA is the richest country on the planet, a world leader in high technology and the world’s largest oil producer. For the preservation of these laurels, Greenland is very suitable for America.
What Trump is directly talking about. America needs Greenland “for economic security,” Trump said this week and flatly refused to rule out the use of military force to annex the island.
To restrain Russia and China
The island is located in the strategically important Arctic. Greenland is the shortest route from Europe to North America, and it is geographically much closer to the latter, although it is an autonomous territory of European Denmark.
The US has had a military base on the island since the Cold War with the USSR. And the Pentagon is not averse to expanding its presence in the Arctic to counter China and Russia.
President Harry Truman was guided by the same, offering 100 million dollars in the post-war year 1946, when the world was divided into Western and Soviet spheres of influence. Buy for yourself so that it does not fall to the enemy.
The section of the Atlantic Ocean between Greenland, Iceland and Britain (The Faroe-Icelandic Line, or GIUK) is the main line of defense at sea in the event of a military conflict between Russia and Europe.
“GIUK is perhaps the most important bottleneck in the world ocean for NATO. This line needs to be controlled and patrolled, and in the event of a war, to be able to block it to protect sea routes for the delivery of troops and equipment from America to Europe,” says British military analyst Mike Martin.
This same stretch of ocean is of key importance to the merchant fleet. The last decade appeared to be the hottest on record, and global warming makes the idea of an Arctic trade route relevant.
The global factory — China — is particularly interested in it. It was already going to build two airports in Greenland in 2018, but then Denmark convinced the autonomous authorities to give it both contracts.
Why Greenland to Trump
Trump is a legacy developer. All his life he bought land, built houses on it and sold apartments. But as president last time he promised not to treat Greenland as his favorite island — Manhattan.
However, Trump’s personal interests are not limited to money. Buying Greenland will allow him to go down in history alongside Presidents Andrew Johnson and Thomas Jefferson, who bought Alaska and Louisiana for the United States.
The US has not added any new territory since 1947, when President Harry Truman gave America small islands in the Pacific after Japan’s defeat in World War II.
How much is Greenland
Land, including people, has not been sold on such a scale for a long time, so it is not easy to determine the market price. But you can imagine an approximate one.
Jefferson bought Louisiana from the French at the beginning of the 19th century for 15 million dollars, and half a century later, Johnson traded Alaska from the Russians for half the price. Truman offered Denmark 100 million for Greenland in 1946.
Even adjusted for inflation, this money can’t even buy a house in Manhattan, let alone an island. It is wiser to focus on the current prices of non-agricultural land in the US. Compared to Greenland in terms of area, Louisiana will then cost at least 1 trillion dollars.
And taking into account the economic and strategic potential of the Arctic island, the price can be several times higher.
However, Denmark is not going to sell anything, and she does not need the money.
Besides, Greenland still has the last word. It has been under the control of Denmark for more than 300 years, and still has not tried to abandon the unobtrusive union and subsidies of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.
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