U.S. President Donald Trump has recently been making threats to takeover Greenland, which not only has Greenlanders worried, but also Canadians. Especially for those living in the Arctic, Canada could get caught right in the middle of the U.S.’s plans to control the Arctic.
Trump and Greenland
According to the Trump Administration, the U.S. needs to acquire Greenland because of national security reasons. After a recent high-stakes meeting between U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic officials, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, “Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark. And the problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.”
Greenland is the world’s largest island that is not a continent. Located in the Arctic, it is placed in a prime location for early warning systems in the case of missile attacks, as well as monitoring vessels that pass through the region. Recent years have seen an increased interest in the country as it contains many natural resources, most particularly rare earth minerals, as well as oil and gas reserves. Although, Trump has said that “we need Greenland for national security, not minerals.”
What Does This Mean For Canada?
A national security strategy that was released by the White House in November noted that the U.S. aims to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.”
Still, experts say that U.S. military action against Canada is unlikely, highly so. In an interview with CTV news, former chief of the defence staff (Ret’d) Gen. Tom Lawson said, “I think that even in the wildest dreams that we’re having about this horrible kleptocracy that’s developing in the United States, they would go to any lengths to avoid that scenario.”
He called action that would bring American military personnel in direct contact with the Canadian population as “off the table.”
Moreover, the U.S. and Canada are members of NATO. NATO’s Article 5 states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all members, which means if the U.S. took military action against Canada, then it would be met with a similar response.
In spite of Trump’s criticism of NATO, he has said that the U.S. will “always be there for NATO.”
