This former colony of Denmark, populated by 57,000 inhabitants for 2.2 million square kilometers, is one of the rare unexploited regions of the planet. In addition to its formidable reserves in rare earths, its position is made eminently strategic by the melting of the accelerating ice. American lust, repeatedly expressed by Donald Trump, is not new. Washington already has an important military presence on the island.
Longtime American claims
1721: Greenland becomes a colony of Danish settlement.
1867: The United States bought Alaska from Russia and begin to perceive Greenland and Iceland as potential American territories.
1868: According to a report From the State Department, the acquisition of Greenland could force Canada to join the United States.
1910: Through Maurice Egan, their ambassador to Copenhagen, the United States proposed to Denmark territories located in the Philippines, in exchange for Greenland and the Danish Western Indies. In vain.
1917: As part of the Treaty of Danish Antilles, Washington buys the virgin islands in Copenhagen and recognizes the sovereignty of Denmark on Greenland.
1933: The International Court of Justice of The Hague regulates the conflict of sovereignty between Denmark and Norway: Greenland is Danish.
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Source: Lemonde