(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- The United States is making progress on a strategic partnership with both Greenland and Denmark.
On Thursday, Robert O’Brien, the national security adviser, said the U.S. was making progressing in gaining a stronger foothold in the Arctic region. He tweeted on Thursday:
“Had an excellent virtual meeting with Primer Kielsen of Greenland and [foreign minister Jeppe Kofod] of Denmark. The United States is establishing a strategic partnership with Denmark. We are also expanding our partnership with Greenland through our consulate in Nuuk, including in trade, investment, education, and security.”
There have been increased threats from other nations in the Arctic region recently. A nuclear-powered icebreaker vessel has been unleashed by Russia recently. This gives the country greater access to the Arctic region, providing it with an advantage over the U.S., which doesn’t have that ability.
China has also declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” showing that it has ambitions to gain more influence in that region of the world.
This is a major reason why the U.S. has increased its talks with Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. In fact, Republican Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas even proposed last year that the U.S. acquire Greenland from Denmark.
On Thursday, Cotton applauded the Trump administration’s efforts to at the very least establish a stronger partnership with Greenland. He said on Thursday:
“I’m encouraged by reports of our talks with Danish and Greenlandic officials. The threat of Chinese infiltration in the Arctic is real, and closer ties between Washington and Nuuk are essential.”
Cotton wrote an op-ed in the New York Times last year that suggested the U.S. should buy Greenland from Denmark. He apparently even brought up the idea to President Donald Trump on several occasions.
In that op-ed, which was published in August 2019, Cotton wrote:
“The acquisition of Greenland would secure vital strategic interests for the United States, economically benefit both us and Greenlanders, and would be in keeping with American — and Danish — diplomatic traditions. Our nation has much to gain, as do the Danes and Greenlanders.”
While it may seem outlandish for Cotton to suggest the U.S. acquire Greenland, it isn’t the first time in our history that someone has suggested we do so. In 1867, William Seward, who was then the secretary of state, actually explored the possibility of acquiring Greenland. That’s around the same time Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia.
Then, in 1946, the Truman administration offered Denmark $100 million to acquire Greenland. Truman said Greenland was “indispensable to the safety of the United States” to fight back the burgeoning Soviet threat in the area. Truman even pointed to how the U.S. had used bases set up in Greenland during World War II to deter aggression from the Nazis.
Even today, the U.S. Air Force has its 21st Space Wing stationed in Western Greenland at the Thule Air Base. That supports U.S. space missions as well as ballistic-missile defense.
While a full purchase may not go through anytime soon, it’s nice to see the U.S. establish a stronger relationship with Greenland and Denmark in the meantime.
