Greenland: Pros and Cons of a Potential American Expansion into Greenland

Map of the Arctic

Greenland, an autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, has been on America's wish list since their first inquiry to purchase the territory in 1867. In 2019, during President Trump’s first presidential campaign, President Trump reignited the idea of purchasing the Danish island. On Christmas day, President Trump stated on Truth Social, “To the people of Greenland, which is needed by the United States for National Security purposes and, who want the U.S. to be there, and we will…” Greenland has remained an island of great strategic interest for America since the 2nd World War. Due to Greenland’s strategic proximity to the Arctic and Eurasia, melting ice caps, and abundance of natural resources, Washington D.C. would be ecstatic with the acquisition of Greenland. It has been over 100 years since America’s most recent purchase of an overseas territory from Denmark (Danish West Indies). Purchasing a territory about 3.2 times the size of Texas comes with many challenges. This article looks to break down and weigh both the positives and negatives of America’s potential purchase of Greenland. 

The Pros - Whoever controls Greenland plays a significant role in the power struggle for the Arctic. As the ice continues to melt, a plethora of economic growth surfaces. America would wreak immense benefits from the acquisition of Greenland. The key component when dissecting the power struggle for control over the Arctic is resources. The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources proclaims, “The Greenland subsoil contains a variety of valuable minerals, rare earth metals, precious metals, precious stones, coal, graphite and uranium.” (natur.gl) These resources are almost entirely untapped. This is because the “National Snow and Ice Data Center” (NSIDC) states that approximately 80% of Greenland is frozen all year round. This fact makes it incredibly challenging to develop such resources. As global warming continues and ice in Greenland continues to melt, trading routes become more accessible. The less ice in the Arctic makes trade routes from Greenland more accessible. For example, the Station Nord, located in Northeast Greenland, is only 1110 miles (about the distance from Florida to New York City) from the Russian port city of Murmansk. While the ice in the Arctic continues to melt, there is significant potential for the expansion of Arctic trade. If Washington controls Greenland, America will be at the head of Arctic development.  

The Cons - The last piece of territory America purchased was in 1947. Purchasing territory is now widely considered an outdated practice. Purchasing land is frowned upon because it may be viewed as imperialistic. The general public mostly resents the idea of purchasing and selling land, as native populations are often forgotten about. Denmark, the autonomous government of Greenland, and native Greenlanders have all expressed zero interest in an American purchase of Greenland. The Danish government is cognizant of the strategic importance and potential of possessing Greenland and has no desire to sell it to America. Even if America somehow were able to come to an agreement with Denmark over Greenland, the price of which Greenland would sell for is astronomically high. Greenland is the largest island in the world; it would also be the largest purchase of land in American history. Even eclipsing the Louisiana Purchase. FT Alphaville has estimated the potential price for Greenland at 1.1 trillion dollars (about $3,400 per person in the US). This number is more than double that of the Danish gross domestic product (GDP) and would easily pay off all of Denmark's national debt ($144 million). Even though this money would tremendously help the Danish economy, it is highly unlikely they would ever accept any sort of sale of Greenland. The economic reasons are not the only reasons why Denmark wants to retain control of Greenland so badly. Denmark was once a country that controlled a majority of Scandinavia via the Kalmar Union (A personal union between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark). They also controlled small colonies in Africa, India, and the Caribbean. Now, the only overseas territory that the Danish control is Greenland. Maintaining Greenland may be viewed as a sense of pride for the Danish Government. The Danish government has acted in a very offensive manner whilst handling President Trump’s inquiries of the island. After weighing the financial, historical, and political components at play, it is highly improbable that Denmark would ever consider selling Greenland to America.