President Donald Trump’s flirtation with taking Greenland is not a new American pastime. For more than a century, United States officials have been eager to gain access to the island’s vast deposits of oil, natural gas and critical minerals, write Corbin Hiar and Hannah Northey. But battling Greenland’s rugged, ice-covered terrain has proved too costly and complicated for even the most ambitious mining and oil companies. Trump is now arguing that securing the autonomous region from Denmark — by buying or seizing it — is necessary to stop China from gaining greater control of the Arctic and the rare earth minerals market. Beijing already controls the world’s largest reserves of rare earth minerals and has tried before to gain access to Greenland’s reserves. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Denmark — and Europe generally — is none too pleased with Trump’s intentions. After Trump rejected an offer earlier this month for more cooperation on mineral exploitation, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen went on a diplomatic blitz across Europe to shore up support for maintaining Denmark’s territorial integrity. “There must be respect for territory and the sovereignty of states,” Frederiksen said this week, alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “This is an absolutely crucial cornerstone of the international world order we have built since World War II.” The move to conquer Greenland has also left some analysts scratching their heads, given the region’s remote location and harsh, ecologically sensitive environment. “What’s the purpose? Nobody can really get their head around that,” said Kenneth Medlock with Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. “It doesn’t make any sense.” But other mineral experts say the idea of partnering with Greenland in some capacity is a compelling one given global interest in critical minerals and the Western push to decouple from China. “It isn’t just a throwaway, fun comment from Donald Trump,” said Benchmark Mineral Intelligence CEO Simon Moores. “It’s very interesting, strategic thinking for our industry.” It’s also not a new idea. The U.S. first evaluated Greenland’s resource potential in 1868. Since then, the nation has tried several times to purchase the island, most recently in 1946. Those bids were rebuffed, but the State Department has continued to monitor Greenland’s potential for oil and uranium production since at least the Carter administration, according to documents released by the nonprofit Wikileaks. The U.S. has also maintained a military base on the island since 1943.
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