United States will open a new consulate in Greenland.

Thule airbase in Greenland. USAF.

The United States will open a new consulate in Greenland as US interest in the territory continues to rise. The Hill. The consulate will be in the capital of Nuuk and will open next year. America used to have a consulate there between 1940 and 1953. The move is seen as an effort to increase America's impact in the Arctic. President Trump floated the idea of purchasing the island but was rejected out of hand by Denmark, which controls the territory. 

My Comment:

It looks as though the United States is bypassing Denmark in it's effort to purchase or otherwise secure the island. By opening a consulate we are contacting the people of Denmark directly. Doing so should open the doors to a direct deal with the people of Greenland. 

I think Denmark made a huge mistake to reject the idea out of hand. When it comes right down to it, America is a hugely powerful and influential country and to ignore them is a big mistake. I think they rejected the offer because of who made it but I doubt that this idea will disappear after President Trump is gone. 

Greenland is a hugely important area as it is stocked with natural resources, including critical rare earth minerals and fuel sources like coal and uranium. It's also a buffer state between the United States and Russia. Having full control of the island would allow us to place better defenses there and could be used to launch attacks. 

I also think that China has put out feelers about purchasing the island, or at least doing the "soft colonialism" that they are doing in Africa. China has begun trying to secure mining rights in the territory and there is little doubt they will succeed. Denmark can't and won't do anything to stop them. 

This is obviously a major threat to the United States. China already has a lot of control of the mining for rare earth metals, a critical component of advanced electronics. If they were to secure Greenland as well they could cut America off entirely unless we gave up on trade. 

This is obviously unacceptable to America and I do think that we will try and ask Greenland directly. And we will offer them a better deal than China can give them. If we were to institute something like the profit sharing in Alaska in Greenland, give the people of Greenland directly some of the profits they are going to get from allowing us to use their natural resources, I am guessing they would vote for either independence from Denmark or to become a part of the United States. 

The media is slowly figuring out the fact that President Trump was deadly serious about purchasing Greenland. I am guessing that when it actually happens, either under President Trump or the next president, they will have to eat some crow...