Get Greenland

It’s inevitable a superpower will control the arctic territory. It should be America

Donald Trump can’t stop talking about Greenland. In a TruthSocial post issued Wednesday, the president reiterated his demand for the arctic territory. “NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” he declared. “IF WE DON’T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”

Trump’s repeated insistence on acquiring Greenland has not gone over well with Europe. European leaders declared that Greenland is “not for sale” and insisted that Trump must respect the Danish territory’s sovereignty. Euros online even went “FAFO” mode over Greenland, promising America would face its utter ruin if it dared mess with the European Union’s mighty military. It’s delusional, but it appears to be a view influencing Euro elites. European countries are now sending troops to the territory.

A war won’t break out. Europe doesn’t have the capability to wage one and the majority of its people don’t even want to fight for their countries, much less for Greenland.

Many insist it’s idiotic to acquire the arctic realm. Critics say the move could even bring down the American empire.

But it’s not insane to take over Greenland. In fact, it’s what America should do. Acquiring Greenland, whether through outright annexation or a Freely Associated State agreement, is in our national interest.

There are plenty of reasons to get Greenland. Control over the Arctic sea lanes will prove immensely valuable in the future. A significant part of world trade will go through the region once the Arctic Sea becomes more passable. America would leave this critical area in the hands of the Russians and Chinese if it’s denied Greenland. Additionally, there’s a wealth of natural resources and rare earth minerals to obtain from the territory, further justifying its acquisition.

Arguably, the most compelling reason to take it comes from Trump himself: it might fall into Chinese hands someday. The Chagos Archipelago shows how this might happen. International pressure, driven by anti-colonialist arguments, convinced the Brits to agree to hand over the Chagos to China-aligned Mauritius. The future of a joint U.S.-Britian military base is now in jeopardy, despite a 99-year lease, due to the deal’s stipulations. Regardless of the base, the new ownership will allow China to have more influence over the Islands. Thanks to the power of anti-colonialist rhetoric over the actions of European leaders and international bodies, China gained a win in the Indian Ocean.

The Chinese could do something similar with Greenland. It’s easy to see an international uproar arising over Denmark’s “colonial” rule over the Greenlanders and the Danes face serious pressure to give up the territory. If the Chinese find a foothold in Greenland, they could manipulate independence to benefit themselves. They can make it harder for Americans to maintain a military presence and gain control over the Northwest Passage. The Danes, even more than the Brits, would be completely helpless to stop this scenario from playing it out.

China could easily build up influence in the territory short of such a dramatic action. Denmark is one of China’s eager economic partners in Europe and the Scandinavians plan to further strengthen the relationship. As Europe becomes more dependent on the Chinese, the CCP would be more capable of extracting demands from its much-weaker partners. Denmark could still have nominal control over Greenland while allowing the Chinese to do as they see fit in the territory.

Without direct oversight, America would not be able to stop these scenarios. That’s why it’s necessary to acquire Greenland now before that’s ever possible.

There are three ways of getting Greenland. The first is to take it by force. This is the least likely scenario to happen. There is overwhelming public and congressional opposition to the use of force. It would look worse on the world stage and undermine America’s international reputation. We could easily take Greenland if we wanted, but it could be blocked by Congress and it makes little sense when there are better options on the table.

The most obvious option is to buy it from Denmark. But the Danes don’t want to sell it, and the cost for buying it may be far too high for Americans to accept. The estimated cost is $700 billion. Even if the Europeans agree to such a deal, Trump would need to get congressional approval for the money. That will be a tall task, despite the Republican majorities in the House and Senate. It took a herculean effort to get the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill through the legislative branch. There are enough recalcitrant Republicans to kill a deal.

The third option is to convince the Greenlanders to vote to separate from Greenland and either formally join the U.S. or make a state in free association agreement with America. The Danes would not be able to stop this effort and this move would likely go over better with the world than acquiring it straight from Denmark. Whether the Greenlanders would choose to be an American territory or a Freely Associated State would be up to them. The Marshall Islands and other places are FSAs, which allows plenty of economic and military access to the territories while they maintain autonomy. This would be cheaper than direct annexation. It may not fulfill Trump’s dream of making Greenland part of the U.S., but it could prove far easier than dealing with the Danes and it would save us from the nightmare of watching the Chinese do the same in the near-future.

The FSA option is the best choice here. It saves America the hassle of governing the territory while reaping the practical benefits we want from it. It’s cheaper and more appealing to the rest of the world than outright acquisition. There’s a high chance Greenland declares independence in the next few years. It’s for the best if we swoop in before our enemies do.

There is a potential offramp for Euros to save face and keep Greenland Danish. A new deal could allow it to remain nominally in Danish hands, but America can utilize as we see fit. The new deal should ensure that mineral extraction and other American projects would not be subject to EU regulations, among other stipulations. Such a deal would preserve Europe’s dignity and advance American interests.

But it may be too late for either party to agree to that. Trump has already declared that anything less than Greenland in the U.S. is “unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Europeans are doing everything to piss off Trump. They’re sending troops to Greenland as an empty gesture of defiance and smugly telling Trump he’s already allowed to invest in the territory. They truly believe that they can wag their finger at the president and think that’s enough to dissuade him from Denmark. While they appeal to international law, they seem completely unaware that international law is utterly dependent on America to be enforced. The EU has no power to enforce it on its own, especially not against the country with military bases throughout its continent.

If the negotiations continue to result in more Eurocrat lectures, it’s best for America to go directly to the Greenlanders.

It’s not ideal to alienate Europe from us, but it may be necessary in this situation. We can’t trust the Danes to safeguard Greenland from our enemies. We can’t even trust Europeans to defend their own borders, much less that of a distant territory. Europe needs to focus on its internal problems rather than pretending it’s a global power that can handle serious responsibilities.

We need to be frank about Europe’s current state. It’s a continent full of stagnant economies, citizens who proudly tell pollsters they won’t fight for their country, insane regulations, tyrannical censorship, unsustainable state spending, and incompetent leadership. It’s utterly dependent on America for its defense, and increasingly dependent on us for its energy needs.

The EU is a continental HOA that inspires little patriotism or fervor. This body is no successor to the impressive European empires of the past.

America should not abuse Europe. But it’s worth remembering the tremendous power imbalance here. Europe may strike a defiant pose, but it would capitulate at the first sight of Marines. In a similar scenario with China or the Greenlanders themselves, there would be no defiance from Europe. If Greenland independence was a matter of international “anti-colonialist” concern,rather than that of America’s national interests, Eurocrats would quickly surrender. Just look at how Keir Starmer handed over the Chagos Archipelago.

Americans, thankfully, are not as beholden to this mindset and can maintain an empire. That’s why we should have Greenland instead of leaving it in unreliable Danish hands.

If Eurocrats want to retain their dignity, they should make a deal. If not, Trump should turn to the Greenlanders for a solution that puts America’s interests first.

That might be the only way to resolve the Greenland question.

[Editor’s note: You can now preorder Scott Greer’s new book, “Whitepill: The Online Right and the Making of Trump’s America,” from this link.]