“And conquer we must, for our cause it is just, let this be our motto: ‘Whom in God is our trust’ oh say does that star spangled banner in triumph shall wave, for the land of the free, and the home of the brave” (Francis Scott Key, Star Spangled Banner). In our own anthem, it is to be said that conquest is listed as an American ideal. We have expanded from a 13 nation state, to the Ohio River Valley, to the Louisiana Purchase, to the rest of the Continental United States, to Alaska, to Hawaii. All of these were conquered, or purchased. The idea of purchasing greenland, is not just in conquest however, it is in the interests of national security, economics, and political capital.
The strategic importance of Greenland cannot be overstated, as it is located in an important Geographic region. This can be seen through its position in the arctic circle, its position between North America and Europe, and its position along vital trade routes that, if controlled by the U.S., would greatly hinder our enemies. The Chinese sought to acquire Greenland through the classic Chinese debt trap move – giving them a massive loan, giving high interest rates, putting them in debt, then acquiring territory or ports so that they have control over said country – if they achieve this, our national security would be at risk. And the BRIC powers would endanger us and our allies. Geographically, Greenland also has an abundance of natural resources.
The natural resources are abundant, and rare earth especially. “Greenland has significant quantities of rare earth elements — minerals that can be used in various technologies, including semiconductors, batteries, lasers, magnets and nuclear energy” (thehill.com). We could set up factories, to melt more ice, and extract more minerals, making a cycle in which we would be a largely wealthy country in both exports and education. American companies could move there, extract resources, and make us loads of money. We could singlehandedly make the island an industrial base, things Denmark refuses to do. This would also gain us political capital in the future.
In terms of political capital, we would gain much. It would show China and Russia that the Yanks are not to be toiled with, and we could in-fact play with hard power. We would control the arctic circle, making the nations of the world kautau to the United States in-order to use it. And likely, Russia and China would have to make new trade routes crippling their economies.
In conclusion, a total takeover of Greenland would benefit us due to economic, political, and geographical reasons. “The flag of our country is floating on high, We’ll stand by that flag till we conquer or die; McClellan’s our leader, he’s gallant and strong, We’ll gird on our armor and be marching along. Marching along, we are marching along, Gird on the armor and be marching along; McClellan’s our leader, he’s gallant and strong; For God and for country we are marching along” (William B. Bradbury).
