Context: Recently, the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he would not rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about Greenland.
About Greenland
- Greenland is the world’s largest island with a population of 57,000. Almost 80% of it is covered by the ice cap and glaciers.
- It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Arctic Ocean on the other.
- It is the location of the northernmost point of land in the world— Kaffeklubben Island.
- The climate of Greenland is Arctic, modified only by the slight influence of the Gulf Stream in the south-west.
Political situation in Greenland
- The Arctic island is an autonomous territory controlled by Denmark. The citizens of Greenland are European Union citizens.
- It was colonised by the Danes in the 18th century and has been associated with Europe.
- Geographically, it is part of the North American continent and closer to the U.S. than Denmark.
- Most of Greenland’s foreign, monetary and military policies are dictated by Denmark. Greenland has a Parliament which deals with domestic affairs such as business taxes, immigration, and mining.
- The calls for complete independence from Denmark have been rising in the island, especially after the contraceptive scandal between the 1960s and 1990s came to light.
- Almost 4,500 Inuit women (the indigenous people of Greenland) were forced to wear a contraceptive coil without their consent.
Significance of Greenland
1. Global aspirations:
- New Shipping Routes:
- Due to climate change and global warming, glaciers and ice sheets in the Arctic Sea are melting, leading to potentially new shipping routes, which could greatly enhance trade.
- Russia and China have already agreed to develop new trading routes in the Arctic waters. The countries have developed a subcommittee for cooperation on the northern sea route, which spans 5,600 km from the Barents Sea near Scandinavia to the Bering Strait near Alaska.
- Critical Minerals:
- The island is also rich in minerals. As per a 2025 survey, 25 of 34 critical raw materials, which are used in EVs and batteries, were found in Greenland.
- The melting of almost 28,000 square km of Greenland’s ice sheets makes drilling for oil, gas and other critical raw materials easier.
- Greenland has not given out certain mining leases since 2021, fearing the possible environmental and ecological harms to the region.
2. U.S. aspirations in Greenland:
- Historic:
- During the Second World War, the U.S. briefly occupied the region and defended it, when Denmark was under siege by Nazi Germany.
- Noting the region’s geopolitical importance, the U.S. in 1946, after the War, had offered to buy it from Denmark.
- Denmark rejected the offer and ever since Greenland has been a part of the Danish realm with home rule granted to the island in 1979.
- During the Second World War, the U.S. briefly occupied the region and defended it, when Denmark was under siege by Nazi Germany.
- Contemporary:
- Greenland is important for the U.S. security. The U.S. runs and operates an air base on the island.
- With the threat of Russia-China cooperation in the region, annexing Greenland could give the U.S. significant control over the area, letting it decide who gets to run and operate in these strategic waters.
- Concerns:
- Trump’s calls to buy/annex Greenland breaks the first and fundamental rule of the UN Charter: recognising the sovereignty of nations.
- With respect to Greenland, the U.S. is going against the NATO agreement as well.
- Further, Arctic waters are a global common under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Read more: Panama Canal