Former NATO supreme allied commander James Stavridis said Sunday he doesn’t think President-elect Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland is “crazy.”
“It’s not a crazy idea.… We could do an awful lot in terms of business, investment, box out the Russians, box out the Chinese, and work very closely with Greenland,” he said during an appearance on WABC 770 AM’s The Cats Roundtable.
In fact, Stavridis said he thinks Greenland is actually a “strategic goldmine for the United States.”
“It sits at the very top of the North Atlantic. It protects approaches to our own country … It’s geographically very important. It’s full of strategic minerals, rare earth, probably a lot of gold. It’s got a lot of natural resources,” he said.
“It doesn’t have to become the 51st state, but it can certainly be an economic objective for us,” he added.
“I think that’s how it plays out … The Prime Minister of Greenland said, ‘We are not for sale. But we are open for business.’ I think we ought to take him at his word,” he concluded.
The interview comes after the incoming president repeatedly suggested he would like the U.S. to take control of Greenland. Trump did not rule out using military or economic force to take Greenland or the Panama Canal, which he has also talked about taking control of in recent days.
Trump suggested the U.S. needs Greenland for “national security purposes.”
Greenlandic premier Múte Egede said Friday he is prepared to enter negotiations with Trump about the territory’s future. Egede has said the territory would like to pursue independence from Denmark — but does not want to become part of the U.S.
“We have a desire for independence, a desire to be the master of our own house. . . . This is something everyone should respect,” he added. “Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”
Denmark controlled Greenland as a colony from the early 18th century until 1979, when the sovereign nation granted home rule. Greenland became self-governing in 2009 via referendum. Now, Denmark retains responsibility for Greenland’s defense. The territory would need to hold another referendum to achieve complete independence.