Greenland: Trump's Special Operation

Abstract

The issue of Greenland and the US militant discourse about the future of the region have been of great interest in the last years. This hasty and unforeseen evolution of events has raised a number of significant questions about the relations between the US (the preeminent Western power in the international system) and the largest island on Earth, which has the lowest population per surface ratio, but plenty of untapped resources of fresh water, minerals, carbon and green energy, an unrestricted panorama of the Arctic lights, pristine ice coastline and the potential for unchecked military multirole bases with strategic positioning. Drawing on a comparative historical analysis, this article argues that Greenland is managed with hard-power tools by the current US administration. Our findings show that this approach is part of the great power competition, where claims of historical and national security reasons are used to take over territories and population, regardless of the international law and the will of the local people. We also underline the potentially divisive policy implications for NATO and the EU.