Trump’s Greenland obsession: What you need to know

CGTN Europe

Global geopolitics with Donald Trump's return as US President appears to be as unpredictable as his previous time in the White House.  Earlier this week, Trump stated that the US needed Greenland and the Panama Canal "for economic security" and did not rule out using economic or military force to acquire them.  Here's what you need to know about Greenland and Trump's renewed interest in this autonomous territory of Denmark, as explained by CGTN Europe's Iolo ap Dafydd.  #Trump #DonaldTrump #Greenland #geopolitics

Transcript

00:00We're hearing a lot about Greenland recently, and the reason being is because the new president

00:05of the United States, Donald Trump, has said he thinks America should buy Greenland from

00:11the Danish government.

00:12Now, the Danish parliament is here, and Denmark still controls the foreign policy, the monetary

00:18policy, and the defense of Greenland and the Greenlanders.

00:22Now, it's a big island, the biggest in the world.

00:25It's between Canada and Iceland, and just over 50,000 people live there.

00:29Particularly Inuit people, and even though they have a certain amount of local control

00:36in their parliament for housing, education, and policing, and crucially for drilling and

00:42mining and oil rights, the rest in terms of foreign policy is actually controlled here

00:49in Copenhagen.

00:51Local people in Greenland feel slightly unsafe because of this suggestion by Donald Trump.

00:56He, on the other hand, says it's vital, it's critical for American safety and security

01:02that it should come under the control of the United States.

01:05Younger people in Greenland might feel they want to vote for independence and be free

01:10of Denmark because they could provide for themselves in a wealthier country if they

01:15tap in to natural resources like minerals and oil.

01:20Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister, in response to Trump's suggestion said it was

01:24a fantasy that Americans could buy Greenland.

01:29But it's had an impact also on the economy because of that threat of possible tariffs

01:34in the future if Denmark doesn't comply.

01:38The three main American objectives in Greenland are to have an increased military presence,

01:43they already have a base in Bifudik, it's called the Bifudik Space Base, is to possibly

01:48investigate the minerals and the oil reserves there, and also to stop the great powers of

01:54possibly Russia, possibly China, from having an increased presence in this really strategically

02:00important Arctic region, which is becoming more and more viable as the ice melts.

02:07But according to one of the two Greenlandic members of parliament here in Denmark, Aya

02:12Chemnitz, she says Greenland isn't for sale, it won't be for sale.

02:17It's disrespectful to talk about any sale and what we should really focus on is what

02:22the local indigenous Inuit people want.

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