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Greenland: How Did We Get Here?

So, you’re sitting at breakfast, scrolling the news, and you see it again: Greenland. That frozen chunk of ice, larger than any U.S. state, with more reindeer than people—and yet, the world’s powers are eyeing it like it's beachfront property in 1920s Miami.

Why? Well, because it turns out the future runs through the Arctic. And under Greenland’s ice lies the mineral scaffolding of tomorrow's AI chips, solar panels, and hypersonic missiles. Which is why Donald Trump, in a moment that history may remember as absurd—or prophetic—decided America should just go ahead and buy it.

But how did we get here? (maps from the economist magazine)

Enter Denmark and Norway, in the age of colonial ambition. In 1721, a missionary named Hans Egede sailed north not to convert the Inuit—but to find Erik’s lost kin. He found no Vikings, only people with seal meat and spirit worlds. So he stayed, built forts, converted souls, and opened trade routes. Greenland, like Siberia and the Canadian Arctic, became another cold outpost in the hot game of empire.

Fast-forward to 1815. Napoleon loses. Norway is handed to Sweden. Denmark keeps Greenland. A century later, Norway tries to plant its flag again—only to be rebuffed by an international court in The Hague. That ruling, strangely enough, would later influence border disputes from the Arctic to the South China Sea.


Meanwhile, the United States was busy buying its way west—Louisiana, Alaska, the Virgin Islands. And after Denmark fell to Nazi Germany in 1940, Greenland became vital. America built bases codenamed Bluie, refueled bombers there, mined cryolite for warplanes, and made weather forecasts that decided battles.

In 1946, President Truman tried to buy Greenland for $100 million. Denmark declined. But the U.S. never left. Through the Cold War, it maintained radar stations, airfields, and strategic silence.

In 1953, Greenlanders became Danish citizens. In 1979, they voted for home rule. By 2009, they had self-government, control over their land, language, and mineral rights. They were poised, perhaps, for independence.

Then came Trump.


In 2019, he suggested buying Greenland—again. His reasoning? National security. Rare earths. Strategic value. And yes, real estate. Greenland’s ice cap was melting, and with it, the barriers to shipping lanes and deep-sea mining.

Of the 50 minerals the U.S. deems “critical,” 43 are in Greenland. It has the world’s largest rare earth deposits outside of China, and rich seams of cobalt and nickel beneath the melting permafrost.

China has already invested $90 billion in Arctic infrastructure, pursuing its so-called Polar Silk Road. Canada holds the Arctic Archipelago. Norway has Svalbard. And Russia? Well, it never left. The new race for the Arctic is on—not with flags and ships, but with drill bits and satellites.


In the latest Greenlandic election, the pro-Danish party won—slowing momentum toward full independence. But time may do what politicians don’t. Greenland expects its population to double by 2030. Mining will require foreign workers. Climate change is thawing not only the ice, but the old geopolitical freeze.

And once again, the people of this icy island—who have lived here since before Christ was born—may find themselves caught between empires.

So, how did we get here?
Because one Viking needed a rebrand.
Because ice melted.
Because cryolite helped build bombers.
Because weather wins wars.
Because in a world where AI runs on rare metals and shipping routes cross melting seas, Greenland is no longer far away.
It is the center of everything.


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