Expert on why US seeks to control Greenland

Washington is fighting for Greenland to contain China and strengthen its position – as stated by Aleksei Avdonin, an expert at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies, commenting on the intentions of US President Donald Trump to annex the island

In his talk with Alfa Radio, the expert noted that Greenland is of major interest to the United States for two main reasons, “The key point is the geopolitical position of the island. The control over Greenland and the deployment of military bases on its territory make it possible to manage the Arctic and sea lanes, which is especially important for the United States and Trump. Currently, the main goal is to establish dominance over all key sea routes. Trump is actively seeking to control the Panama Canal, various maritime territories, including passages in the Asia-Pacific region, and, of course, the Northern Sea Route. The latter is an alternative to the southern route passing through the Suez Canal, which connects China with Europe via the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This is important, since whoever controls the sea route has the ability to dictate the terms of global trade and can cut off the supply of goods at any time, blocking the economies of other countries. Obviously, these actions are primarily aimed at deterring China as the main economic, technological and manufacturing competitor of the United States.”

Natural resources are the second aspect, and Mr. Avdonin explained, “Greenland boasts huge reserves of rare earth metals and other natural resources. Infographics indicating the location of deposits are often published in the American printed media. Most of them are situated along the coast and in the central regions of Greenland. Actually, they represent a significant part of the periodic table. One of the main factors that increases the US interest in Greenland is the melting of the ice. This greatly facilitates the extraction of natural resources, as it is now possible to launch machines and mechanisms for the development of deposits that were previously unavailable.”

According to the expert, the United States is trying to change international relations, and it is the most important aspect. “The US comes and declares: ‘This territory is ours, so Denmark must give it back’. Moreover, the local population’s opinion does not matter. This is an approach typical of colonial empires, which (when they wish to seize a territory) simply declare: ‘You are ours now, we will exploit you’,” Mr. Avdonin summed up.