Fair enough: Trump's action in Greenland is like shooting oneself in the foot. You can't make as much in Greenland as it seems.
With the US military operation in Venezuela, one of Trump's favourite and no less provocative topics has again come to the forefront. That is the strategic necessity for the US to occupy Greenland. Although the largest island in the world hides mineral wealth, its location beyond the Arctic Circle does not make it a profitable prey.
Donald Trump again let a chill into world geopolitics, hinting that the USA could use its military force to gain Greenland. Trump's fantasies have a decidedly ambivalent character. On the one hand, Trump says something different every day, so his statements are not taken too seriously, on the other hand, he is the president of the USA and is capable of a lot, as the situation in Venezuela has shown.
Already during his first presidency, he floated ideas about buying Greenland, which only provoked waves of laughter in 2019 to cool more today than current temperatures far below zero.
Times are tumultuous and Trump, in regards to Greenland, talks about its strategic position for the security of the USA.
In the past, the security issue around Greenland once really escalated. The USA occupied Greenland during World War II due to the threat posed by Nazi Germany, as Denmark fell under the rule of the Swastika. At that time, it was essential to be vigilant about a possible Nazi invasion into the USA, however crazy it sounds.
But times have changed and the USA's nuclear arsenal completely prevents such an invasion, as any party interested in such an invasion anywhere on the globe can be totally obliterated in a matter of minutes, without exaggeration.
"The United States will not gain any advantage if their flag flies in Nuuk (the capital of Greenland) instead of the Greenlandic flag. If there is a specific security issue that could improve the safety of the United States, they will of course be provided with whatever they want, because they are a trusted ally. Therefore, this has nothing to do with improving the national security of the United States. They don't benefit from it, because they already enjoy all the benefits they want," said Thomas Crosbie, a military operations expert from the Royal Danish Defense College, to the Associated Press agency.
After Denmark refused to sell the island to the Americans for 100 million dollars after World War II, they obtained a contract that allows them to build bases in Greenland as they wish. Additionally, former President Joe Biden signed another agreement that allows access to Danish military bases.
However, the business with Greenland's mineral wealth could be at stake. Did no one notice it until the brilliant Donald Trump figured out how to make a great profit by annexing Greenland? The Greenlanders themselves are primarily aware of the mineral wealth. From an economic point of view, they would like to welcome foreign miners, who would pay for the development of local infrastructure and the country could become economically and subsequently politically independent. At present, it depends on subsidies from the Danish budget.
For example, the British company London Mining tried to mine iron ore here in 2013, not far from the capital Nuuk. The project ended in the company's complete bankruptcy.
A big question in Greenland is Chinese ambitions. Miloš Zeman has experience with them as well. Nowadays, few people remember his lofty promises of billion-dollar investments from China in the Czech Republic, as nothing remains of them. Similarly, the Chinese promised to build airports and other infrastructure in Greenland. The Kvanefjeld mine, where uranium ore was supposed to be mined in addition to the rare minerals that are often talked about in the context of Greenland, was of particular interest.
However, mining was dangerous and could bury a substantial part of the island in radiation, which somehow did not go over well with Greenlandic voters, who ousted the local socialists from power, who wanted to cooperate with China. Although the Chinese still hold a stake in the mentioned mine, it will most likely never be mined. The problem with business failures is simple, Greenland is at the end of the world and covered in ice, so it's hard to make money on mining.
Greenland is melting in times of climate change, but it is naive to imagine that mineral wealth will thaw under the ice cap, start rolling merrily across the ground and be easy to collect. In Greenland, the permafrost is melting, which creates a fundamental problem for any construction, the foundations of which will disintegrate in softened soil. Not only buildings, but also roads and other infrastructure can be completely destroyed within a few years, and such an investment does not pay off for anyone.
However, there are a few small gold and gem mines in the country. They only have a marginal significance for the island's economy, let alone for the global economy. The Danish documentary Grønland's White Gold caused a stir in Denmark not so long ago. It pointed out how Denmark historically made billions on the rare cryolite. The film was even banned in the country, illustrating the tense relationship between Greenland and Denmark.
However, Trump is mainly shooting himself in the foot with his inflated Greenlandic rhetoric. American businesses can develop here as they wish, and many American billionaires are investing here, though with a small profit. Due to international agreements, they can also strengthen their military presence. In the past, they had more than 10 bases, now they have one. Trump, however, is not taking any action in this direction.
The result of the entire escapade is just a weakening of NATO, which will best serve Russia and China. Didn't Trump just want to put the regimes in these countries into their proper places?
