© Visit Greenland via Unsplash
US special envoy Jeff Landry visited Greenland this week. On location, he called for a renewed U.S. military and economic presence on the island.
Without a formal invitation, Landry met with Greenland's leaders and declared that it's time for the U.S. to "regain a foothold" in Greenland, he told AFP. Landry pointed to plans to open three new military bases in the southern region. The US currently operates only one base in Greenland. At the height of the Cold War, the Americans had 17 bases.
Landry also played on Greenland's aspirations for independence from Denmark. He suggested that the U.S. could help the island get out of economic dependence. Greenlandic and Danish officials responded coyly, noting that the talks were "constructive," but that the U.S' position had not changed. They reiterated that only Greenland can decide its own future.
The visit caused further controversy when it was revealed that Landry was accompanied by an American doctor, who declared on Danish television that he was checking "what the medical needs" were in Greenland. That led the Greenland Health Minister to say that Greenlanders "are not guinea pigs in a geopolitical project".
U.S. President Donald Trump has long argued that the U.S. needs control over Greenland for national security reasons: citing its strategic location and vast untapped resources.
Illustration image: © Visit Greenland via Unsplash