"Location, location, location: Greenland's position above the Arctic Circle makes the world's largest island a key part of security strategy. But for whom? Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and U.S. President Donald Trump wants to make sure his country controls this mineral-rich island that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America."
"Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a longtime U.S. ally that has rejected Trump's overtures. Greenland's own government also opposes U.S. designs on the island, saying the people of Greenland will decide their own future. The island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world."
Greenland's geographic position above the Arctic Circle and control of North Atlantic approaches make it strategically vital for North American defense and trans-Arctic shipping. The island's mineral wealth has heightened geopolitical interest, prompting U.S. proposals to acquire influence while Denmark and Greenland's government oppose such moves and insist on local decision-making. Climate change is thinning Arctic ice, opening prospects for a northwest passage and intensifying competition over resources and routes. China has declared itself a "near-Arctic state" and proposed a Polar Silk Road as part of its Belt and Road Initiative, increasing its presence in the region.
Read at Fortune
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