President Donald Trump’s eagerness to acquire Greenland may hint at a greater future conflict in the icy north, says author Kenneth R. Rosen.
Rosen, a seasoned political journalist with expertise in the Arctic, argues in his new book, Polar War, that tensions in the region are bound to erupt sooner rather than later.
“To those of us who have been watching the Arctic over the last half-decade or so, the possibility of conflict in the Arctic now feels inevitable,” Rosen writes in the book’s introduction.
The author also noted that the U.S. desire to own Greenland is nothing new.
“Historically, the American desire to control Greenland has existed nearly as long as America itself,” he writes, adding that government leaders during the mid-1800s were “bullish on Greenland’s potential to be an arctic surrogate for national defense.”
American leaders have shown interest in purchasing the world’s largest island three times before, including after the U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, as well as when the Truman administration offered to buy the autonomous territory from Denmark for $100 million in gold in 1946.
Rosen adds that under the Eisenhower administration, the U.S. launched its first nuclear-powered submarine under the North Pole. “The United States saw its future national security potential in Greenland, which welcomed the USS Nautilus after its journey and briefly housed an underground American research station powered by a portable nuclear reactor.”
Figures throughout the administration have repeated Trump’s claims that the U.S. needs Greenland “for defense,” as the president told reporters on Sunday.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told CNN on Monday that “Greenland should be part of the United States,” two days after his podcaster wife, Katie Miller, shared a controversial post on X showing a map of Greenland covered by the American flag.
Vice President JD Vance also spoke about the U.S. desire to take over the region in a Fox News interview that aired on Wednesday, saying Greenland was “critical” to national security.
“We are going to make sure we defend America’s interests,” Vance said. “And I think the president is willing to go as far as he has to make sure he does that.”
The White House told Reuters in a statement that “acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States,” hinting that the use of military force is not off the table.
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Monday that the president’s plan was to purchase Greenland from Denmark, not to invade it.
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