Carson B. Messick
President Trump has recently pushed one of his most visionary policies; purchasing Greenland.
Some geographical information. Greenland is an Arctic territory of Denmark. While Greenland is a part of Denmark, its capital is closer to Washington D.C. than to Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen and most Greenlanders are Eskimo, not Danish.
For three reasons, the United States should use all legal and reasonable means to purchase Greenland:
The United States has a long history with Greenland.
We would benefit from the purchase.
Greenland itself would benefit from the purchase.
The United States has strong ties to Greenland. Various Europeans colonized parts of it in the 18th century though much of it remained unexplored. It was explorers from the United States, most notably U.S. Navy Officer Robert Peary, who discovered large swathes of Greenland in the 19th and 20th centuries. During World War Two, the Germans occupied Denmark, but the Danish government permitted the United States to create military bases in Greenland, which effectively gave control of her to the United States. A significant U.S. military presence persisted throughout WW2 and still exists today. It is the might of the American military, not Denmark, that protected Greenland from the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and the Russians. Thus, as Americans explored large parts of Greenland and is its primary defender, it can be said we have a legitimate claim to make her a territory of the United States.
It is in our interest to purchase Greenland. It is geographically crucial, as control of its northern area is necessary to protect the Arctic. It is also necessary to control the Denmark Strait, which we will need to rename as it is nowhere near Denmark. Without control of the Denmark Strait, the GIUK, Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom, gap is indefensible. A penetrable GIUK gap would permit the Russian navy into the Atlantic.
Greenland also has numerous militarily essential materials and even more than is ascertainable at present. While we currently can protect these interests there is no guarantee this control will continue if we do not have ownership.
It would be in their citizens’ best interests. With a population of 57,000, around half the number of High Point, it is too small to defend itself and geographically too important to be left alone under the very real threat of one day being annexed by Russia. In 2021, Denmark had 16,000 active military personnel and her best ships were frigates. With a population and a GDP around half the size of North Carolina, Denmark is incapable of defending Greenland from Russia. Furthermore, The Danes cannot offer the same sort of economic investment that the United States can offer. Also, Greenland need not fear any threat to its autonomy, America grants a great deal of freedom to all its dependencies. Thus, the United States can offer Greenlanders all the freedoms that Denmark can while offering them much greater security and financial investment.
Therefore it is this writer’s opinion that we tender an offer to purchase Greenland from Denmark and make her a territory of the United States.
Carson Messick graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2023. He is a member of the Gibsonville Planning Board. He is currently a Dean’s Fellow at HPU School of Law.
