Why is Trump after Greenland?
Trump has three reasons for wanting to acquire Greenland:
- The world’s largest island has substantial deposits of 43 out of 50 of the “rare earth” minerals.
- It guards the eastern approach to the melting Northwest Passage
- It straddles the route that Russian ballistic missiles would take in an attack on America’s East coast.
“Rare earth” minerals are essential to the building of batteries, computer chips and modern defense equipment. The country with the largest rare earth deposits is China. This makes Americans very nervous.
However, just because the minerals are there does not mean they can be easily extracted. Engineers have so far located 150 potential mining sites. But Arctic conditions, a labour shortage and the indigenous Innuits respect for their environment, means that after ten years, only one mine is operational.
In the early days of American exploration hundreds died searching for an ice-free passage through the Canadian Arctic linking Europe and Asia. Global warming means that within a few years ships will finally be breaking through the Northwest Passage. Greenland sits at the eastern end of what will become a major shipping lane.
It has long been recognised that the shortest route for Russian missiles attacking the US is over Greenland and Canada. That is why the US has established an early-warning system at Pituffik Space Base. Some 650 military personnel man radar systems and monitor space debris from their station 750 miles inside Greenland’s Arctic Circle.
But Trump does not need to own Greenland to place military bases there. The US has the right to build whatever military systems it requires under a 1951 treaty with the Danes, who are responsible for Greenland’s defence and foreign affairs. Trump can construct 50 more bases if he wants them.
However, it is also clear that ownership would give America greater control in other areas. It would, for instance, enable the US to introduce lax mining regulations in order to fully exploit the island’s untapped natural resources. This would, however, run counter to the daily lifestyle of the 57,000 Greenlanders who place a high premium on maintaining their unique – albeit cold – way of life.
Panama
American conservatives fought tooth and nail against relinquishing control of the Panama Canal. When the new revised treaty came before the Senate in 1977 it squeaked by with just one vote to spare.
It is not surprising therefore that ultra-conservative Donald Trump wants it back.
Unfortunately for the soon-to-be president, the reasons he has given for the re-acquisition range from outright lies to commercially dubious.
To start with, Trump says that the 50-miles of locks linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is now occupied by Chinese troops. Thus America’s security is threatened. Next, is the claim that Panama is singling out American shipping and charging it unfair prices.
It is true that China has invested heavily in Panama since 2017 when the Panamanians switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Mainland China. The Chinese have built bridges, a railway line and a cruise ship terminal. The Hong Kong-based company Hutchison Port Holdings has also secured the contract to manage terminal facilities at both ends of the canal.
But there are no Chinese soldiers in Panama. That is a lie. If there were troops that would be a casus belli for US intervention. Under the terms of the existing US-Panama treaty, America retains the right to intervene if its security interests are threatened.
As for the increased charges. Yes, they have risen 5-10 percent – for everyone, regardless of the national origin of their vessel. The money is needed for a $5.25 billion expansion programme to recoup traffic that has been lost due to competition from the Suez Canal, COVID and several years of drought. These factors combined with the opening of the Northwest Passage mean that Panama’s slice of the world shipping has dropped from six to five percent. To regain market share the canal authorities must charge more to improve facilities in order to compete.
Finally, there is the possibility of another reason for the Trumpian designs on the canal zone–immigration. An increasing number of migrants crossing the American southern border are coming from Venezuela via Panama and the treacherous Darien Gap. Control would create another block.
What’s happening in Austria?
Adolf Hitler called himself “Volkskanzler”. Austria’s Herbert Kickl wants to use the same title if he succeeds in forming a government.
The link between the two Austrians is unsurprising. Kickl is leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO). The party has been junior partner in five Austrian coalitions, but the Social Democrats (SPO) and centre-right People’s Party (OVP) have so far refused to participate in any government led by the FPO.
That may be about to change. After elections held in September, the FPO won the most parliamentary seats with 31 percent of the vote. President Alexander Van der Bellen pushed the other parties to reach an agreement that excluded Kickl and the FPO. But despite the high stakes, the other parties failed to resolve their differences and President Van der Bellen has reluctantly turned to Kickl who this week started negotiations with the OVP.
The two parties agree on a few things: the public wearing of hijabs, tax cuts and reduced benefits for immigrants and asylum seekers. But that is about it. A hint of the differences can be found in the title Kickl gave his party’s election manifesto—“Fortress Austria.”
Among the policies he is pursuing is a complete ban on asylum applications and the “remigration” (another term for expulsion) of “uninvited foreigners.”
Kickl also maintains close links with the Identitarian Movement who are anti-LGBTQ, anti-EU, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim. Their leaders have been photographed throwing Nazi salutes and endorsed Kickl in the election. For his part, Kickl has called the Identitarians “an interesting project worthy of support.”
Where the OVP and FPO are most likely to fall out is over the issue of Russia and Ukraine. Kickl, an MEP, stormed out of an address to the European Parliament by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. He has called for an end to EU sanctions against Russia which he claims breach Austria’s neutrality laws. He also opposes the German-backed European Sky Shield Initiative and supports Vladimir Putin’s claim that the Russian invasion was in response to NATO encirclement.
The one thing that may prevent Kickl from becoming Volkskanzler is the enmity between him and OVP leader Christian Stocker who once told him: “Mr Kickl, nobody in this parliament wants you. Nobody in this republic needs you either.”
* Tom Arms is foreign editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and author of “The Encyclopaedia of the Cold War” and “America Made in Britain".
5 Comments
Thank you for an interesting and timely article.
Might another reason/cause for the new President of the U S A wanting Greenland be that the obvious “enemies” of America, such as China etc. are too dangerous/expensive to attack and so the predatory urge turns to “ looting allies?
(Please look at Moon of Alabama)
Ditto Panama?
Might the rise of the politico- economic “right” in Austria, and elsewhere in the “Free World”, be a consequence of the harms done to regular people, and their children, by Neoliberalism?
Might it have imposed austerity, lack of genuine, deep, party political differences of view and attitudes, aka. real choice, and generally depressed expectations?
Why are the “Wests’” political leader”s obsessed with/addicted to Neoliberalism?
(Please see “ Late Soviet Britain by Abby Innes)
While talking about giving away sovereignty what is Starmer doing giving away diego garcia? I see no advantage in what he’s doing and it’s not clear this is the wish of Chagosians. And why the haste? Bizarre.
Interesting article, but @Tom are you sure about the reasons for the Panama Canal prices going up? Increasing your prices in order to compete with your competitors makes no business sense because that just makes it even more likely customers will use your competitors instead. My understanding was the issue is water supply: The Panama Canal uses locks which remove a lot of water from the highest points of the canal for each crossing, and due to drought in the area there’s no longer enough water to supply the locks, which means they are having to restrict how many ships can cross, hence the prices going up.
@Steve: Might I suggest that, considering how you bring up ‘neoliberalism’ almost every time you post (even when it has no relevance to the article being discussed), you’re really not in a good position to accuse other people of being obsessed with neoliberalism 😉 (You might notice that Tom did not mention neoliberalism anywhere in this article.)
The USA has expanded its territory by purchase in the past – the Louisiana purchase from Naploeon and Alaska from an indebted Russian empire after the Crimean War.
While Denmark is unlikely to be persuded to cede the territory, the leasing of naval bases and mining concessions to US companies and others seems quite likely. Denmark would be constained from entering into commercial arrangements with China or Russia by American national security interests and the deepening of Chineses control of “rare earth” minerals.
Chinese infrastructure in Panama is perfectly legitimate commercie unless you consider the Monroe Doctine as de jure International law that would justift American intervention.
Having been to Greenland, I agree with you, Tom, when you say: ‘the indigenous Innuits respect for their environment and the daily lifestyle of the 57,000 Greenlanders who place a high premium on maintaining their unique – albeit cold – way of life’. Add their free education and health and you have in Trump an alien who believes in none of this. However, my Danish mentor says: ‘All understandable, but Trump is unfortunately a bull in a glass house. These issues could have been and are handled more elegantly. Not my style, but maybe I have not understood the pleasures of flashing a big ego around on the net’.
Having been through the Panama Canal before Covid, I would suggest Trump would do America and the locals more good by investing in water supply to overcome the drought which started at the end on 2022, becoming the worst in history last year. This caused queues of ships in their passage through the canal.
My Austrian cousin writes: ‘Christian Stocker’s (the new boss of the ÖVP after Nehammar resigned last week) numerous critical personal remarks about Kickl have been constantly re-broadcasted. Many just wonder how someone who has been outwardly so critical of Kickl over many years, can now bring himself to sit down to negotiate a coalition government with him! And, of course, course the AfD in Germany and the FPÖ in Austria keep egging each other on’.