Greenland: America’s Arctic Imperative – The American Spectator | USA News and PoliticsThe American Spectator

The Arctic wind carries more than chill — it whispers opportunity. Greenland’s parliamentary election on March 11, 2025, delivered a stunning upset: the pro-business Democrats, led by Jens-Frederik Nielsen, claimed 29.9 percent of the vote, toppling the left-leaning Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) coalition. This shift, against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s renewed call to secure Greenland “one way or the other,” presents conservatives with a clarion call: America must deepen its economic, political, and military presence on this icy frontier. Not through coercion, but through a partnership that honors Greenland’s aspirations while fortifying the free world’s northern flank. This is no imperial whim — it’s a strategic necessity rooted in timeless conservative principles: strength, prosperity, and self-reliance. 

Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory of 57,000 souls, is no mere tundra. Its rare earth deposits — 10 percent of the globe’s reserves — power everything from iPhones to F-35s. Its perch in the North Atlantic guards shipping lanes and watches Russia’s Arctic ambitions. Pituffik Space Base, a U.S. foothold since 1951, already tracks missiles and satellites, but it’s a toehold in a theater demanding boots. As China inks deals with Greenlandic miners and Russia flexes its icebreaker fleet, America cannot afford to dither. The Democrats’ victory signals a Greenland open to pragmatic deals, not utopian socialism — a golden hour for conservative statecraft.

Trump’s rhetoric, brash as ever, has stirred the pot. His March 2025 address to Congress, vowing to claim Greenland, echoes his 2019 “purchase” pitch — mocked then, prophetic now. Greenlanders recoil at annexation (85 percent oppose it, per January polls), and Denmark clings to its colonial jewel. Yet the election’s subtext — economic hunger, unease with Danish subsidies (60 percent of Greenland’s budget), and wariness of foreign threats — offers a conservative opening. Nielsen’s “Greenland is not for sale” is firm, but his party’s business-first ethos invites negotiation. America should seize this, not with a checkbook, but with a vision.

Conservatives champion sovereignty — nations charting their own course. Greenland’s slow march from Danish rule (home rule in 1979, self-governance in 2009) mirrors America’s own founding spirit. But freedom isn’t free, and Greenland’s $1 billion annual Danish lifeline chains its potential. Enter the United States: not as overlord, but as liberator. A grand bargain — economic investment, political mentorship, military partnership — could wean Greenland from Copenhagen, hastening its independence while anchoring it to the West. 

Economically, America’s $21 trillion engine dwarfs Denmark’s $400 billion GDP. Picture U.S. firms — say, ExxonMobil or Lockheed Martin — building ports, mining neodymium, and wiring Nuuk with 5G. Greenland’s fishing economy (70 percent of exports) could diversify, its 14 percent unemployment rate shrink, and its welfare state stabilize without Danish handouts. Conservatives know markets, not mandates, lift nations. A U.S.-Greenland trade pact, slashing tariffs and spurring jobs, beats socialism’s stale promises — IA’s losing bet in 2025.

Politically, Greenland craves agency. Naleraq’s 24.5 percent vote share proves independence fever burns hot, yet the Democrats’ gradualism won the day. America, a beacon of self-governance, can guide this transition. Offer diplomatic muscle — backing Greenland’s voice in Arctic councils — while nudging it toward a “free association” model, akin to Palau’s. With the U.S., Greenland keeps its flag, its Kalaallisut tongue, and its Inuit soul — but gains a superpower ally. Conservatives disdain nation-building abroad, but this isn’t Iraq; it’s a willing partner ripe for alignment. 

Militarily, the case is ironclad. Russia’s Northern Fleet prowls the Arctic; China’s Belt and Road eyes Greenland’s ores. Pituffik’s radar is vital, but insufficient. Expand it — add a naval hub, station 5,000 troops, deploy drones. Greenland becomes NATO’s unsinkable aircraft carrier, countering Moscow’s 40 icebreakers with American steel. Conservatives revere peace through strength — Reagan’s creed. A fortified Greenland deters aggression, not with empty threats, but with tangible might.

Greenlanders fear losing identity — validly so, after Denmark’s cultural bulldozing (forced sterilizations linger in memory). America mustn’t repeat that sin. Offer a deal: U.S. investment and security for Greenland’s autonomy, no strings of citizenship or statehood. Nielsen’s coalition, likely including Naleraq or Siumut, could stomach this. A 2030 referendum might seal independence, with America as guarantor — not owner. Denmark, relieved of subsidies, might acquiesce, keeping face in NATO.

Critics will cry imperialism. Let them. This isn’t 19th-century colonialism; it’s 21st-century realism. Greenlanders want jobs, not charity — witness the Democrats’ surge from 9.1 percent in 2021 to 29.9 percent now. They want safety, not vulnerability — Trump’s shadow, however crude, woke them to geopolitics. America can deliver both, not by fiat, but by handshake.

Here’s the twist: frame this as Greenland’s Manifest Destiny. Conservatives adore that phrase — America’s westward push, taming wilds for freedom’s sake. Greenland’s saga is kindred: a people forging destiny atop ice, not prairie. U.S. conservatives can sell this as a moral mission — extending liberty’s frontier, not Washington’s bureaucracy. No woke platitudes, just hard-nosed mutual gain. Fund it with private capital, not taxpayers — let Wall Street bet on Arctic gold. Pitch it as a rebuke to China’s statist grip, a win for free markets and free men.

Contrast this with liberal hand-wringing: endless UN debates, climate sermons (Greenland’s ice melts regardless), and appeasement of Putin. Conservatives act — decisively, practically. Trump’s bombast needs refining, not rejection. Channel it into a doctrine: America as Arctic steward, Greenland as partner, not pawn.

Denmark won’t budge easily — Mette Frederiksen’s March 12 congratulations to Nielsen came with a “Greenland decides” caveat. Push too hard, and NATO frays. Greenlanders might balk — high turnout (extended polling hours in Nuuk) shows zeal for self-rule, not subservience. Mitigate this: cap military bases at two, cap troop numbers, cap corporate sway with local hiring quotas. Balance is conservative wisdom — power with restraint.

The prize outweighs the peril. By 2040, imagine a Greenland thriving — mines humming, ports bustling, skies guarded by U.S. jets. Russia retreats, China pivots, Denmark adapts. America’s footprint grows not by conquest, but by consent — a conservative triumph of will and wallet.

Trump’s instinct is right: Greenland matters. His method — blunt, unilateral — misses the mark. Conservatives can refine it: a pact, not a purchase; a handshake, not a heist. Nielsen’s victory opens the door; America must stride through. This isn’t about owning Greenland — it’s about empowering it, securing it, and winning the Arctic for freedom. The ice awaits. Let’s stake our claim — not with chains, but with choices.

READ MORE:

What if Greenland Isn’t Denmark’s to Sell?

Greenland Does Not Have to Be Trump’s Folly