America must take Greenland, at any cost

The White House is speaking loudly about Greenland. But volume should not be mistaken for insanity. This is not a sudden lapse in imperial fantasy – it is power politics, plain and unsentimental, dressed in modern language but driven by ancient truths.

Geography still rules fate. Distance can still protect or endanger nations. The ice still melts, the paths are still open, and the rivals still move. Greenland sits at the center of it all – a giant slab of territory that dominates the map by population, but by consequence.

Separate the angst and the pearl-clutching, and the matter becomes clear. Seen through a realist lens—the kind described by John Mearsheimer—power is never polite. Nations do not go through history in good will. They compete, maneuver, and block opponents wherever they can.

The US did not invent this competition, but it has played it for a century, shaping trade routes, closing strategic chokepoints, and denying rivals room to expand. Quitting now doesn’t end the game – it just loses the advantage.

Greenland is important because the Arctic is important. Melting ice has turned the once-frozen buffer into a contested corridor. Shipping lanes are being built. A subsea cable snakes across the ocean floor. Missile trajectories shortened. Narrow the surveillance gap. Russia knows this. China knows this. Both are investing heavily in Arctic presence, infrastructure and influence. The US can either treat Greenland as a distant curiosity or for what it really is: a forward position in a region that will define the future balance of power.

This is why the thing that receives it refuses to die. Under Trump, it has reemerged less from carelessness than from obscurity. He says out loud what others like to bury in the briefing. Previous administrations whispered the same concerns behind closed doors, then settled for half-measures and cosmetic compromises. Trump said the quiet part loudly, in addition to his usual lack of decorum and inhibition. The Allies withdrew. But in cold political terms, crime is secondary to advantage.

The preferred route is clear and requires no justification. Better to buy Greenland than bully it. A negotiated transfer with guarantees for Greenlanders and compensation for Denmark would be cleaner, cheaper and far less volatile than any military move. War in the Arctic would be absurd, expensive and counterproductive. Even floating the idea of ​​force is less about intention than benefit. It’s a reminder that America takes this issue seriously, not a rehearsal for an attack.

Critics insist that Washington should not decide Greenland’s future. Formally, they are correct. Strategically, however, that statement is comforting nonsense. In a world of increasing rivalry, no great power would allow important territory to fall into opposing hands out of courtesy. Sovereignty is sacrosanct unless security is threatened; Then it becomes negotiable. This is not cynicism, but a hard account of history.

America bought Louisiana not for generosity, but to deny France control of the Mississippi. It supported Panama’s break from Colombia to secure the canal, which it considered vital. It bought Alaska to keep Russia off its doorstep. Britain took Gibraltar for one reason: status trumps principle when survival is involved. States speak respectfully of borders, unless borders threaten them. As security tightens, ideals are modified.

The European response, while predictable, is also revealing. Europe benefits greatly from US security guarantees, but retreats when Washington acts as a force rather than a benefactor. NATO allies are warning the US to take its defense more seriously. The alliance, after all, is based on the assumption that America has never been an emotion-first power. Greenland reveals whether it still remembers.

European nations insist that Greenland is not for sale, while quietly relying on US troops, money and missiles to allow such a comfortable posture to keep the peace. It’s like lecturing the fire brigade about property rights while borrowing their hoses. Principles are easier to protect when someone else pays for the insurance.

The deeper issue is not Trump’s rhetoric but America’s reluctance to accept it for what it is. America has become a world power in a competitive world. It cannot afford to disguise strategic blind spots as virtue. Greenland is not a vanity project or a colonial hangover – it is a strategic anchor, a surveillance platform, a logistics hub, and a repudiated asset, all wrapped into one. A loss of influence there won’t lead to an immediate collapse, but it will signal a significant retreat, with sympathetic rivals showing up long before voters.

So this moment feels different. The language is sharp. The signs are strong. Force remains a last resort, and rightly so. It is expensive, corrosive and unpredictable. Buying Greenland will cost money and pride, but much less than struggle. Realism does not require hostility. The United States has often secured important positions without the use of force.

During World War II it gained long-term access to Iceland because the island was more important than diplomatic goodwill. It built a strategic base through negotiations on Okinawa, despite local resistance, because geography demanded it. It built Diego Garcia into a major military hub through negotiation and compromise rather than force. In each case, American security was strengthened without open conflict.

Greenland still deserves the same treatment. Serious talks that reflect its importance. Offer fair payments to Denmark, respect local self-governance, and protect American interests without turning the Arctic into an unnecessary flashpoint. Trump has set his sights on Greenland because the map leaves little room for options.

John MacGlionn is a writer and researcher who explores the impact of technology on culture, society and everyday life.

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