“Political trolling”: why in the USA they started talking about Trump’s intention to buy Greenland

The Foreign Ministry of Greenland, an autonomous territory within Denmark, commented on reports by a number of American media that US President Donald Trump is allegedly considering the possibility of acquiring the island. The department said that the island is open for cooperation in business, but is not going to sell its territory to anyone.

“Greenland is rich in valuable resources, such as minerals, clean water and ice, fish, seafood, renewable energy, it is a promising direction for the development of tourism. We are open for business, not for sale, ”the Greenland Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

#Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is a new frontier for adventure tourism. We're open for business, not for sale❄️🗻🐳🦐🇬🇱 learn more about Greenland on: https://t.co/WulOi3beIC

In turn, Aya Cheminitz Larsen, a member of the Danish parliament from Greenland, categorically rejected the possibility of selling autonomy.

“My answer is thank you, don’t! I do not think that this will contribute to the development of Greenland, ”the politician noted in an interview with TB2. - Greenland is not a commodity that can be sold. Denmark cannot do this. ”

Larsen also emphasized that American values ​​can harm the foundations of the indigenous population of the island.

“I also think about the social values ​​that are in Greenland. For example, we have the right to free education, such things will be destroyed if American values ​​dominate, ”RIA Novosti quoted the politician as saying.

Parliamentarian Michael Ostrup also shares this position. He noted on Twitter that "the days when you could buy territories and people have long passed."

Nej, @realDonaldTrump - Grønland er ikke til salg! Tiden hvor man bare kunne købe områder og folk er heldigvis slut for mange år siden. Det forventer jeg også, at regeringen på vegne af rigsfællesskabet, vil forklare i både klar og præcis tale, når Trump besøger Danmark #dkpol

Some politicians ironically took this news. So, the representative of the Danish People’s Party, Søren Jespersen, called the very idea of ​​selling 50,000 of its US residents to Denmark completely ridiculous.

“If Trump is really considering this (the purchase of Greenland. - RT ), then this is the last evidence that he has lost his mind,” the Danish publication Jyllands-Posten quotes the politician.

These messages were considered untimely April Fools Day by the former Danish Prime Minister Lars Löcke Rasmussen.

It must be an April Fool's Day joke ... but totally out of sesson! https://t.co/ev5DDVZc5f

For his part, the representative of the Conservative Party of Denmark, Rasmus Yarlov, said on Twitter that even in theory such a sale could not take place.

“Of all the incredible things, this is the most incredible. Forget it, ”he said.

Out of all things that are not going to happen this is the most unlikely. Forget it. https://t.co/0ChJvOVJW7

In turn, the representative of the Radical Party, Martin Lidegard, expressed concern that Trump’s actions could lead to the militarization of Greenland.

“I hope this is a joke. In general, this is a terrible idea that threatens the risk of militarization of Greenland, less independence for the Greenlanders, not to mention that it would be a huge loss for Denmark, ”he wrote on Twitter.

Trump købe Grønland ?! Forhåbentlig en joke, men ellers forfærdelig tanke med risiko for militarisering af Grønland og mindre selvstændighed til det grønlandske folk - udover stort tab for Danmark #dkpolhttps: //t.co/g49qGjjOFK

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources, said that Trump expressed the idea of ​​buying Greenland. It was noted that the discussion of this issue took place "with varying degrees of seriousness." The report said that Trump has repeatedly asked his advisers if the United States can acquire Greenland.

• View of the city of Angmagssalik in Greenland
• Reuters
• © Lucas Jackson

Old idea

The idea of ​​acquiring Greenland with an area of ​​more than 2 million square meters. km has been discussed in the US before. So, in 1876, the State Department considered this possibility, and after World War II, US President Harry Truman made an official proposal to Denmark, but was refused. For the island, the American leader was ready to give $ 100 million.

At the same time, Greenland hosts the northernmost US air base in Thule. It appeared on the island in the early 1950s in accordance with the US-Danish Agreement for the Protection of Greenland, approved by US President Franklin Roosevelt on June 7, 1941 and ratified in 1951.

By the early 1960s, an early warning radar appeared on the base, which made it possible to record missile launches from the territory of the USSR. Also on the island were deployed strategic bombers B-52 with nuclear weapons. In January 1968, an aircraft carrying four thermonuclear bombs crashed near a base. As a result, the ammunition was destroyed, which caused radiation contamination of the area.

According to Andrei Sidorov, head of the department of international organizations and world political processes at the Moscow State University’s Faculty of World Politics, Greenland has had important geopolitical importance for the United States for many years.

“Greenland was a very important stronghold during the First World War for the transfer of troops, equipment and materials on ships to Europe. The same situation was during the Second World War: the island was a stronghold on the Atlantic routes, ”he said in an interview with RT.

Meanwhile, professor at the Higher School of Economics, Dmitry Evstafiev, believes that "after the UK exits from the EU, a situation of two Europe will arise in Europe."

“The first is Europe, forming around Germany, which is likely to move away from Atlantic values. And the second is a kind of alliance of states that will focus not on Brussels or Berlin, but on Washington. The United Kingdom, Poland, as well as the Baltic states and the Scandinavian states can enter this block. From this point of view, the dependent territory in the form of Greenland fits very well into this concept, ”the analyst said in a comment to RT.

• View of the base of Tula
• © Ritzau Scanpix / Linda Kastrup via REUTERS

Yevstafyev also noted that if the island is purchased, the United States will deal a blow to China's investments in this region.

“The acquisition of Greenland will virtually nullify all Chinese efforts to penetrate Europe and, above all, into the Arctic, which Beijing has been very active in recent years. Now the Chinese are making serious investments in the island’s infrastructure, ”said the expert.

In recent years, Beijing has been trying to connect to infrastructure projects in Greenland. In particular, the Chinese state corporation China Communications Construction Company intended to take part in the construction of three airports, but eventually withdrew its application. In addition, the Chinese company Shenghe Resources Holding is involved in the production of rare earth elements.

Difficult procedure

Sidorov noted that for the implementation of the acquisition of Greenland, the US president will have to go through a complicated procedure.

“In theory, Trump should conduct diplomatic negotiations with Denmark and probe its attitude to this issue. Then he will have to turn to Congress and get the appropriate authority to conduct a dialogue on the purchase of the island. In addition, the American leader will need to get the congressmen to allocate the amount that they agree on, ”Sidorov explained.

He added that at the moment this topic is unlikely to be of great interest to Trump, since now his main task is to win the 2020 presidential election.

“Trump will not start this process. A rather favorable situation has developed for him, since the US economic development allows him to be re-elected for a second term. Under these conditions, he will strive to extend the current situation in the economy until November next year, ”the analyst said.

This point of view is shared by Evstafiev.

“Congress must approve this deal, but the procedure for making such a decision, if it comes to that, is very complicated,” he said.

• Greenland B-52 bomber crash response operation with fusion bombs on board
• © US Air Force

According to him, the news of the purchase of Greenland is more like a “trolling” from Washington.

“No one knows if this is possible, since in recent years there have been so many Overton windows open in international politics that it is already difficult to understand where the truth is and where not. In a situation where the president of the United States is Trump, such a development is likely. But, most likely, this is political trolling by Washington, ”concluded Yevstafyev.

In turn, Sidorov suggested that such reports in the American press could be part of the information campaign conducted by the liberal media to expose Trump in an unattractive light.

“It is important what kind of media reported this. If these are liberal publications, then such news can be considered as yet another attempt to make the American leader unsuitable for the presidency, ”Sidorov said.

He added that there was no point in buying an island because Washington had secured a military presence on it.

“The USA is present there today and at any moment they can agree to build, for example, additional bases without acquiring the island itself. It seems to me that this topic is somewhat contrived, ”the expert concluded.