UKH

According to the BBC website Trump (having another bizarre brainwave) wants to buy Greenland from owners Denmark.

But apparently this has been proposed before, when President Truman offered $100M in 1947.

Can't imagine many people wanting to Play golf on an icecap

Not golf. But plenty of mining to be had. Let's spoil another land mass!

No worries the ice cap will be taken care of in a few more years.

At a guess potentially one of the most valuable places in the world.  As the ice melts there is the potential to free up huge economically viable mineral deposits including rare earths.  And of course as fresh water increasingly becomes a rare resource all that ice will become very attractive.

And Greenland was always strategically incredibly important and given how things are going between Russia, China and the USA will likely increase in importance again.  In addition the control of the North West Passage will be increasingly important.

Kangerlussuaq used to have the most northerly golf course in the world.

Surely you don't need that much ice in your G&T when reaching the 19th hole.

FFS its a diversion - Trump does this all time time. He doesn't want to the US to buy Greenland, he just wants the media to talk about it.

Denmark should say "We'll swap it for Texas".

Or California. More wealth there than many small countries. 

It's not without precedent. Alaska was bought from Russia and IIRC, which I may not, much of the Mississippi catchment from France.

Greenland minus the polar weather and the sea-ice will have access and claim to much of the arctic ocean's riches. It's also a strategic military asset. Buy now while it's a barely inhabited ice-cube, reap the rewards when the world melts.

Or you're right, it's a distraction. Probably a bit of both.

jk

FTFY as you well know.

Are we sure that he doesn’t think it’s another frozen food store like Iceland.

I am pretty sure he's been looking at a Mercator projection and believes he's the only person alive to  notice that it is the biggest landmass on the planet. Plus it's all white. What's not to like?! 

Allegedly, Denmark has offered to buy united bluff

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/denmark-offers-to-buy-us?fb...

Given the looming geopolitical unrest (resources, human migration) resources I doubt Denmark has the capability to defend Greenland. A $500bn sovereign wealth fund courtesy of the US would be a smart move.

Trump has cancelled a state visit to Denmark (invited by the Danish Crown) because the Danes don't like his Greenland buying idea. At least we'll all die laughing. 

Lucky escape for the Danes, then...

The problem would occur when the Danes try to ban capital punishment there.

All that hot air emanating from Trump's mouth will dwarf the effect of carbon dioxide induced global warming in not time.

You could be right there, but since Denmark is part of NATO, buying Greenland seems a bit OTT if the Americans need it for military bases. If bases there are necessary for mutual defence then surely Denmark would agree, in much the same way that the US has military bases in the UK and other parts of Europe?

Edit: In fact the US already has an air base at Thule in Northern Greenland, so presumably there wouldn't be any problem in adding more or expanding if NATO thought it necessary?

The Americans already have military bases on Greenland. Besides, Trump doesn't have the ability to think in any such strategic terms.

The Chinese have been making inroads into Greenland for ages - they want a foothold in the Artic Circle and attempts via Norway have soured.

I imagine Trump had a security briefing around China's positioning and decided that buying Greenland was a great way to confront it.