What’s so important about Greenland anyway? A lot, actually

Greenland — the mostly ice island — has United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump in a full nelson. Trump has declared during his second term that Greenland is something he wants to acquire for security reasons. Ever since Trump kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Greenland has been a bigger desire for Trump. But Prime Minister Mark Carney made sure to send a message to Trump. While delivering a speech in Davos, Carney declared that Canada stands with Greenland. Tensions are now as high as ever between the U.S. and Canada.

On January 20, Carney delivered his speech about the new world order at the World Economic Forum (WEF). He hit upon points of how the political landscape of today looks and how Canada is positioned within it all. Throughout the speech, Carney was confident in Canada’s economic ability as he mentioned new trade deals with China and Qatar. But, maybe the most poignant part of his speech was when he mentioned more topical issues like Greenland. He spoke sternly of Greenland’s autonomy — that if it were imposed upon, Canada would stand by their side as a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally. Trump took this as a direct threat to the U.S. and made that known the very next day in Davos when he gave his speech.

In true Trump fashion, he mostly spent his time boasting about what a great job he’s been doing in office. He spoke confidently and said that gas prices have dropped, that trade has been fantastic, and that the U.S. is a once-again prospering nation. Most of what he claimed is just untrue, but it doesn’t matter. Most people know that Trump will boast fake numbers to appear bigger, better, than he actually is. The important part of his speech is when he singles out Canada, Carney, and Greenland.

This isn’t the first time the U.S. has been involved with Greenland. When Germany attacked Greenland during World War II, it was the U.S. that occupied Greenland. Denmark re-acquired Greenland once the war ended, though. On top of that, it’s also not the first time Trump has talked about Greenland. He had talks with Greenland in his first term, but Greenland didn’t want to sell then either. Now, he’s becoming more and more vocal about the desire to control Greenland once again.

While delivering his speech, Trump almost didn’t bring up Greenland. But when he did, he went on about it for longer than necessary. Every point he mentioned came back to one thing: national security. Over and over again, Trump used the term “security” to describe why the U.S. so desperately needs Greenland. But that, of course, isn’t the entire story, even if it’s a rather long chapter. Greenland also has a great many natural resources that have yet to be capitalized on.

Trump can want Greenland for any number of reasons, but the one he’s trying to hide is the desire for its natural resources. Greenland’s oil, to be more specific, is what he’s likely after. While some oil companies have tried going to Greenland for oil, most have turned up unsuccessful. But I’m sure Trump feels very confident that he would be able to find the oil. If anything, because he would probably forgo environmental restrictions. All of this is really just old-school colonization at work in the 21st century.

While Trump has claimed that he wouldn’t use force to take Greenland, it feels hard to believe him. It was just a month ago that he went in and kidnapped Maduro from Venezuela. Even though the situation in Venezuela is entirely different than Greenland’s, it goes to show that Trump won’t kid around when he wants something. But through all of this, what does it mean for Canada? A lot, actually.

In Trump’s speech in Davos, he claimed that Canada needs the U.S.. As unfortunate as it is, this isn’t entirely wrong. Canada’s economy has the ability to stay propped up mostly on its own, but not entirely. A majority of our exports head down to the U.S.. If Canada were to lose more trade with the U.S., the economy would take quite a large hit.

On the chance that the U.S. invades Greenland, Canada would be at war with its basement neighbour. While there is a lot of speculation about what’s to happen next, everyone needs to be aware of what could take place and the extremity of the consequences. As much as Trump can act erratically, he also follows through on a lot of what he wants.

This doesn’t mean Canada should be walking on eggshells when it comes to the U.S.. But, at the same time, it wouldn’t hurt to remain carefully cautious.