Greenland Bases Forever

American Thinker ^ | 20 Sep, 2026 | Clarice Feldman

[MtnClimber]

Since at least 2019, Trump has publicly spoken out about the need to protect the Arctic corridor by replacing the 1951 Treaty. And he was reviled unfairly for the effort.

This week the U.S. entered into an agreement with both Denmark and Greenland which protects U.S. sovereignty, deters Russian and Chinese aggression, circles an increasingly fey and unreliable Canada with U.S. states and bases, and makes the U.S. exit from a sclerotic NATO more possible, if not more likely.

First, a little background. Contrary to the press and jokesters who ridiculed President Trump’s offer to buy Greenland, a territory of Denmark with about 56,000 inhabitants, we have long known its strategic importance. In 1951, we entered into an agreement with Denmark allowing us to establish a base at Thule. Article XIV of that Treaty states that “This Agreement, being in implementation of the North Atlantic Treaty, shall remain in effect for the duration of the North Atlantic Treaty.” If we left NATO or it otherwise ceased to exist, we had no clear right to maintain defenses there. Nor did we have exclusive rights to ban foreign investments which posed security threats to us. In time, the treaty was inadequate to protect our interests, as Russia now had ICBMs and Russian nuclear submarines were navigating Arctic waters. Moreover, the small population of Greenland was talking about independence, and Russian and Chinese governments were not averse to bribing them substantially in exchange for operating rights there. Our agreement was with Denmark, and it’s unclear it could bind an independent Greenland.

It could even mean an independent Greenland strongly under Chinese influence might be on the other side of the negotiating table.

In sum, for a number of reasons, that dated Cold War-era treaty needed to be supplanted by something better,

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TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: greenland; r; trump

[MtnClimber]

I expect the Chinese to meddle with this.

[Big Red Badger]

That’s Fine...
I just want to Visit Cuba.
.
When they get the Power back on.

[Jonty30]

The totle of the thread is sung to strawberry fields forever.

[DeplorablePaul]

Trump is a genius. Biggest land acquisition since...
AI:
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million on March 30, 1867, in a deal negotiated by Secretary of State William H. Seward.

[bert]

Trump acquires Greenland

Russia loses Moldova and can’t acquire Ukraine

China manufactured military installations in thew South China sea are sinking

[equaviator]

Might be a good place for A-10s to spend what remains of their effective life-cycles, and they can always find an iceberg to use for gunnery practice.

[Candor7]

Paper is Paper.

What we need are several YUGE Naval and Space Force bases in Greenland.

[OrioleFan]

Why would the Communists worry about Greenland when they are actively working to get elective representation in the United States. US citizens (and a number of illegals) who elect democrat socialists are helping China and Russia achieve their goals right under our noses. And the judicial residue left by past democrats and certain RINOs are assisting this effort.

[DeplorableTrumpSupporter]

China, if we could regain our manufacturing base, could be an economic basket case in no time...

[butlerweave]

Will Trump rename the Labrador Sea to the America Sea ?LOL

[Miami Rebel]

We’ve had military access to Greenland for decades, and in fact had over 50 installations at peak.

[FLT-bird]

Securing Greenland - and its mineral resources - ousting the Chinese from control over the Panama Canal and flipping Venezuela are MAJOR achievements which have significantly strengthened America in the Western Hemisphere. These are accomplishments that will long outlast Trump’s time in office.

Flipping Cuba would be icing on the cake.

[Dan in Wichita]

We’ve had military access to Greenland for decades, and in fact had over 50 installations at peak.

Trump's Greenland deal is a much better arrangement for the US, and you know it. Stop trying to downplay it.

From Google AI:

The new 2026 security agreement adds a formal U.S. veto over foreign adversary investments and non-military footprints on the island, whereas the historic 1951 treaty focused strictly on military base access and defense.

The 1951 Agreement

• Military Focus: The 1951 pact between the United States and Denmark was narrowly built for military defense and NATO operations during the Cold War.

• Base Access: It gave the U.S. broad authority to build military bases, deploy troops, and operate radar or space systems without time limits.

• No Economic Control: It did not regulate local business, commercial projects, or investments from foreign nations.

• Local Input: A 2004 update added requirements to consult Greenland's local government on military impacts, but the core text remained purely military.

The new 2026 Agreement

• Investment Veto Power: The new deal gives the United States explicit written approval rights to block adversary nations (like China or Russia) from making sensitive investments in Greenland.

• Broader Scope: It moves beyond traditional military base rights to target economic infrastructure, resources, and strategic commercial influence.

• Stricter Adversary Bans: While the 1951 pact allowed general NATO access, the new agreement explicitly restricts adversary nations from maintaining any military presence or commercial leverage without U.S. consent.

[Socon-Econ]

Does this need to be protected by treaty or legislation to keep the Democrats feon undoing it?

[Mouton]

Another win. Of course it won’t be played in the news as such.

[hecticskeptic]

Carney is going to the UN Assembly meeting in New York this week. After his comment last week at the EU Parliament about the ‘3,000 km shared border with Greenland’, it sure would be interesting to hear the discussion in the hallway when he meets up with some of the folks on the south side of the Canada-US border.

And it will be even more interesting if the deal with Mexico also gets inked in the next day or so....

Carney has so screwed Canada, it’s an unbelievable thing to watch....