What are Trump’s Greenland Acquisition Plans?
Since taking the White House in January last year, President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to annex Greenland “very badly,” with a range of options on the table, including a military attack.
Amid opposition from Greenlandic lawmakers, Trump doubled down on Friday, threatening that the United States is “going to do something [there] whether they like it or not”.
“If we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland. And we’re not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor,” Trump said at a meeting with oil and gas executives at the White House.
“I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way.but if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way,” he added.
Since the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week from Caracas in a military operation,Trump and his officials have upped the ante against the Greenlandic capital,Nuuk.
So, what are the ways that US President trump could take control of Greenland, a territory of Denmark?
Is Trump considering paying out Greenlanders?
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Paying out to Greenland’s nearly 56,000-strong population is an option that White House officials have been reportedly discussing.
Located mostly within the Arctic Circle, greenland is the world’s largest island, with 80 percent of its land covered by glaciers. Nuuk, the capital, is the most populated area, home to about one-third of the population.
Trump’s officials have discussed sending payments to Greenlanders – ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 per person – according to a Reuters report, in a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and perhaps join Washington.
Greenland is formally a part of Denmark, with its own elected government and rules over most of its internal affairs, including control over natural resources and governance. Copenhagen still handles foreign policy,defense and Greenland’s finances.
But as 2009, Greenland has the right to secede if its population votes for independence in a referendum. In theory, payouts to Greenland residents could be an attempt to influence their vote.
Trump shared his ambitions of annexing Greenland during his first term as well, terming it “essentially a large real estate deal.”
if the US government were to pay $100,000 to each Greenland resident,the total bill for this effort would amount to about $5.6bn.
Can the US ‘buy’ Greenland?
Earlier this week, White House spok
has the US tried to buy Greenland earlier?
Yes, on more than one occasion.
The first such proposal surfaced in 1867 under Secretary of State William Seward, during discussions to successfully purchase Alaska.By 1868, he was reportedly prepared to offer $5.5m in gold to acquire both Greenland and Iceland.
In 1910, a three-way land swap was discussed that would involve the US acquiring Greenland in exchange for giving Denmark parts of the US-held Philippines, and the return of northern Schleswig from Germany back to Denmark was proposed.
A more formal attempt was made in 1946, immediately following World War II. Recognising greenland’s critical role in monitoring Soviet movements,President Harry Truman’s administration offered Denmark $100m in gold for the island.
But Denmark flatly rejected the idea.
Can the US attack Greenland?
While political analysts say that a US attack to annex Greenland would be a direct violation of the NATO treaty, the White House has said that using military force to acquire Greenland is among the options.
Denmark, a NATO ally, has also said that any such attack would end the military alliance.
“We need greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark isn’t going to be able to do it,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. “It’s so strategic.”
Greenland is one of the world’s most sparsely populated, geographically vast regions.
But through a 1951 agreement with Denmark, the US military already has a significant presence on the island.
The US military is stationed at the Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, in the northwestern corner of Greenland, and the 1951 pact allows Washington to set up additional “defence areas” on the island.