A 'magnet' in the heart of the Arctic.

In American history, senior officials have floated the idea of ​​purchasing Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory in the Arctic, on at least three occasions.

A U.S. serviceman takes the oath of service at Thule (Pituffik) Air Force Base, Greenland, in 2016. (Source: U.S. Air Force)

Recently, US President-elect Donald Trump stirred controversy by reiterating his shocking statement about wanting to buy Greenland, the world's largest island, which is three times the size of the entire state of Texas, "for national security and freedom around the world."

Who owns Greenland?

In 1979, Denmark granted Greenland autonomy, allowing the world's largest island to govern itself in areas such as economics , taxation, education, culture, and social welfare. However, Denmark retains control over the constitution, foreign relations, and defense. Greenland is part of Denmark, and its people are Danish citizens with full rights and responsibilities.

Denmark and the Greenlandic government jointly manage mineral resources. According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, this may have been the reason why Greenlanders voted overwhelmingly in 2008 to increase their autonomy, leading to the 2009 expansion agreement with Denmark.

Under the expanded autonomy agreement, Greenland became an administrative self-governing unit, retaining most of its oil and mineral revenues and making almost all internal decisions independently. Greenlandic also became the official language.

To date, Denmark continues to cooperate with the Greenland authorities, managing the island's foreign relations and defense. No country can increase its military presence in Greenland without the consent of both the Danish and Greenlandic authorities.

As of 2017, Denmark was Greenland's largest trading partner, importing 55% of the island's goods and accounting for approximately 63% of its exports. Denmark currently provides Greenland with subsidies of around 4.3 billion Kr annually (nearly 400 million USD).

Since 2009, Greenland has had the right to declare independence, but with a population of only about 56,000 and a heavy financial dependence on Denmark, the territory has never chosen that path.

In 2014, a group of 13 academics from the University of Greenland, the University of Copenhagen, and the Nordic Research Institute published a research report titled “New Relations Between Denmark and Greenland: The Way Forward,” which assessed that Greenland would remain dependent on Danish aid for at least another 25 years to maintain its welfare system.

The center of competition

Since the beginning of the 21st century, strategic competition in the Arctic has intensified, particularly between Russia, the United States, and China, making Greenland a focal point of attention. Located in the heart of the Arctic, near newly opened shipping lanes due to melting ice, the island is strategically positioned to control the region's airspace and maritime territory.

In addition, Greenland possesses important natural resources such as rare earth elements and uranium, which are essential for modern technology and renewable energy. Furthermore, Greenland is estimated to have 50 billion barrels of offshore oil and gas and abundant fisheries resources.

In 2019, Associate Professor Walter Berbrick of the U.S. Naval Academy and founding director of the Arctic Research Group stated: “Whoever controls Greenland controls the Arctic. This is the most strategically important location in the region and perhaps in the entire world.”

For the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Greenland plays a crucial role in their security strategy. In 2010, Reuters described Greenland as a “security black hole” for the U.S. and its allies, due to its 44,000-kilometer coastline being difficult to monitor. Foreign vessels, including Russian submarines, have repeatedly made surprise appearances in the area.

Rasmus Nielsen, an expert from the University of Greenland, observes that in recent years, the US has focused more on Greenland and Washington is "really waking up to the reality in the Arctic" because of Russia and China.

For China, Greenland is part of the Asian economic powerhouse's "Arctic Silk Road" strategy. From 2012 to 2017, China was Greenland's largest investor with $2 billion, accounting for 11.6% of the island's GDP. In 2018, China's Shenghe Company won the right to mine at Kvanefjeld – one of the world's largest multi-element mines. However, in 2017, Denmark rejected a proposal from a Chinese company to buy an abandoned naval base in Greenland to protect its relationship with the United States.

The European Union (EU) also has significant strategic interests in its relationship with Greenland. The EU maintains a special relationship with Greenland through the Greenland-EU Cooperation Agreement. This helps the bloc maintain its presence and influence in the Arctic region, while supporting sustainable development initiatives on the world's largest island.

For Denmark, maintaining control over Greenland's foreign and defense policy helps it maintain its presence and surveillance capabilities in the Arctic region, while contributing to NATO's overall defense strategy. This also helps Denmark ensure its national security and standing on the international stage.

Greenland is an island located on the route connecting the North Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic Circle, covering an area of ​​over 2.1 million square kilometers and with a population of nearly 57,000. Approximately 80% of Greenland's surface is covered by ice.

America's ambitions

On December 24th, after US President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to buy Greenland, the New York Post reported that the 47th occupant of the White House was completely serious about the matter.

However, in reality, the first time US officials mentioned the possibility of acquiring Greenland was in 1867. The then US Secretary of State, William H. Seward (1801-1872), considered the feasibility of purchasing Greenland after finalizing the agreement to buy Alaska from Russia, believing that the idea "deserves serious consideration."

During this period, the United States was aggressively expanding its territory westward and northward under the Manifest Destiny policy, particularly into areas rich in natural resources and strategically located.

In 1868, Seward proposed buying both Greenland and Iceland from Denmark for $5.5 million in gold. However, this plan never materialized.

By 1910, the American ambassador to Denmark, Maurice Francis Egan (1852-1924), suggested exchanging Mindanao and Palawan for Greenland and the Danish West Indies, but this idea was also dismissed.

After World War II, in 1946, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff listed Greenland and Iceland as two of the three essential international locations for U.S. military bases.

The United States offered to buy Greenland from Denmark for $100 million, but Copenhagen refused. Instead, the Nordic nation signed a treaty in April 1951 granting the United States exclusive jurisdiction over the defense zones within the territory.

Around 1953, the United States established Thule Air Base (renamed Pituffik in 2023) in northern Greenland, which later became part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Thule employed over 1,000 Greenlanders, and the U.S. deployed nearly 10,000 personnel there.

US interest in Greenland abruptly declined after the Cold War, with only a few hundred personnel present.

In 2019, Senator Tom Cotton revived the idea of ​​purchasing Greenland with then-US President Donald Trump, citing the island's importance to US national security and its immense economic potential. Leaders in Greenland and Denmark immediately rejected the proposal.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared: “Greenland is not for sale. Greenland does not belong to Denmark. Greenland belongs to Greenland.” Following these reactions, Trump decided to cancel his planned state visit to the Nordic country.

According to Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Danish Defence University, until recently, when Trump reiterated his intention to buy Greenland during his second term in the White House, perhaps no one considered it "ridiculous."

On December 24th, just hours after the US President-elect announced his intention to buy Greenland, Denmark announced plans to significantly increase defense spending on the island by $1.5 billion. Copenhagen also issued a strong statement asserting that the world's largest island is not for sale.

The acquisition of territory from a sovereign nation is not unprecedented. While it's unclear how determined Trump is to do so, one thing is certain: the US president-elect has prompted Denmark, a NATO member, to increase its defense budget, a move he strongly advocated during both his previous and current terms.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/greenland-thoi-nam-cham-giua-long-bac-cuc-299451.html