Monday, December 2, 2019

Denmark Puts Mineral-Rich Greenland Top of its National Security Agenda, Ahead of Terrorism and Cybercrime.

From the BBC, November 29:

Danes see Greenland security risk amid Arctic tensions
Denmark has for the first time put mineral-rich Greenland top of its national security agenda, ahead of terrorism and cybercrime.
The Defence Intelligence Service (FE) linked its change in priorities to US interest in Greenland, expressed in President Donald Trump's desire to buy the vast Arctic territory.
Greenland is part of Denmark, but has significant autonomy, including freedom to sign major business deals.

China has mining deals with Greenland.

The FE's head Lars Findsen said Greenland was now a top security issue for Denmark because a "power game is unfolding" between the US and other global powers in the Arctic.
In August the Danish government dismissed as "absurd" President Trump's suggestion of a US-Denmark land deal over Greenland.

Mr Trump then cancelled a state visit to Denmark and called Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen "nasty".

The US interest in Greenland goes back decades. The US has a key Cold War-era air base at Thule, used for surveillance of space using a massive radar. It is the US military's northernmost base, there to provide early warning of a missile attack on North America....MUCH MORE
The U.S. President did not call the Danish P.M. "nasty", rather, he was pouting and said she was mean to him in her response to the proposal to buy Greenland:
...“When they say it was absurd -- and it was said in a very nasty, very sarcastic way -- I said, ‘We’ll make it some other time,’” Trump told reporters.
He added: “She’s talking to the United States of America. You don’t talk to the United States that way, at least under me.”
“All she had to do was say, ‘No we wouldn’t be interested,’” Trump said....
—Bloomberg, August 21, 2019
Now back to Greenland.
Trump tried to allay fears re: his oft-times questionable design sensibilities:
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