"While the latest threats of buying or invading Greenland are particular to Donald Trump's administration, the Danish territory has been key to US interests for much longer than that. Then US Secretary of State William Seward raised the idea of annexing Greenland as far back as 1867 and the US occupied Greenland to ensure it didn't fall into the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II."
"The island's position off the northeastern coast of Canada means many north American leaders have deemed it crucial to defense strategy. Russia, another country which lies partly in the Arctic Circle the others are Canada, Norway, the US, and Denmark (through Greenland and the Faroe Islands) has several bases in the Arctic and China declared itself a "near-Arctic state in 2018 in an effort to obtain a toehold in the region."
Greenland's Arctic location and vast area make it a strategic asset for military, economic and geopolitical competition. The United States has long viewed Greenland as important, proposing annexation in 1867 and occupying it during World War II to prevent Nazi control. The US and Denmark formalized defense cooperation with the 1951 Defense of Greenland Treaty, and the US operates the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. Proximity to northeastern Canada reinforces Greenland's defensive value for North America. Russia maintains Arctic bases and China declared itself a "near-Arctic state" in 2018 to seek regional influence. Denmark and Greenland resist recent US purchase or control proposals.
Read at www.dw.com
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