Ecoblogi – A Blog by Daniel Elkama

Donald Trump has repeatedly said obsessively that he wants Greenland. He will very likely occupy it within the next 6 months unless there is sufficient international pressure against the US. The EU must stand as one against Trump and the UN must condemn his intentions. The UN could send peacekeepers to the region.

Why has Donald Trump set his sights on Greenland and downright covets it? Greenland’s geopolitical position is significant. The importance of the Arctic is growing as sea ice melts and the number of merchant ships in the Arctic Ocean increases. Trump’s claims about the presence of Chinese and Russian warships in the region are false. The US has also had a free military presence and bases in Greenland for decades. So the seizure of Greenland on the grounds of US security is also false.

Simple answer: Donald Trump is an imperialist who wants more land. This is due to his MAGA, Make America Great Again ideology. Trump’s intentions have long been to restore the US to its global power position of 1890-1920, when the US conquered Hawaii and Puerto Rico and ruled, among others, Cuba, the Philippines and Panama. Trump has, among others, threatened to take over the Panama Canal and attacked Venezuela. Behind both are economic interests (trade and oil). Trump sees the American continent in particular as belonging to the US sphere of interest, in accordance with the Monroe Doctrine.

Greenland has significant gold reserves. Here Trump is returning to 17th-century mercantilism, wherethe one dominates the world economy, who dominates gold reserves. Greenland also has particularly huge reserves of rare earth metals, the demand for which will multiply in the coming years, because they are needed for high-tech, as well as plenty of oil. Trump is basically a greedy businessman and he smells money.

So behind Trump’s intentions are imperialist great power politics and economic interests: control of resources. So it is pure greed.

The occupation of Greenland would be a clear signal to Russia and China that they can continue their ruthless imperialism, like the US, and China, for example, could occupy Taiwan. The entire rules-based world order is in danger of collapsing under the return of imperialism. The EU and the UN must take a strong role as global leaders.

Daniel Elkama