Photo: Alamy | Op-ed by Summer Lane
Just days after the United States successfully executed a special military operation to arrest Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, effectively expanding Western control to the tip of South America, the Trump administration has turned its eyes to Greenland.
The president has long called for the acquisition of Greenland – a place rich in critical minerals and natural resources – and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reiterated its importance for national security reasons.
Indeed, Greenland additionally sits on the edge of key shipping corridors in the Baltic and Arctic, which Russia currently accesses and would certainly love to continue to access unrestricted.
As the United States further embraces the Monroe Doctrine, establishing dominance over the entire Western Hemisphere, some are concerned that this could signal an impending European conflict. The U.S. is strengthening its control of the West, and as it does, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the military budget for the year 2027 would be expanded from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion.
“All the signs suggest that we’re going to have a big war soon,” said independent journalist and commentator Tucker Carlson. “…That’s the kind of budget that a country that anticipates a global or regional war has for its military. Obviously, we’re moving in that direction, toward a world war.”
Of course, Carlson’s opinion here is not concrete. Peace through strength, President Trump’s oft-touted policy tagline, requires a strong and ready military to back up strong and ready words on the world stage. This does not necessarily signal a coming conflict, although it does seem to suggest that there is a pressing and immediate need to significantly strengthen American power over the Western Hemisphere.
National security, expanding the Monroe Doctrine
Vice President J.D. Vance recently told Fox News’ Jesse Watters that securing Greenland for America was “critical not just for our national security, but to the world’s national security.”
He continued, “People don’t realize this – the entire missile defense infrastructure is partially dependent on Greenland…If, God forbid, in the future, somebody launched a nuclear missile into our continent, they launched a nuclear missile at Europe, Greenland is a critical part of that missile defense.”
Retired General Mike Flynn, also the former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, posited on X this week about the importance of the aforementioned Baltic and Arctic shipping routes.
“The Baltic and Arctic corridors are more important than many people realize,” he wrote. “They serve as vital routes that enable Russia’s navy, particularly its nuclear submarine force, to operate effectively. Russia is not a small nation that can be easily pressured without repercussions. It is a nuclear-armed power, and its red lines are shaped by geographic realities. Keep your powder dry folks. Pray for our troops.”
It seems more obvious than ever that Greenland is part of an ever-expanding Monroe Doctrine, being pushed heavily by the Trump administration.
“We’ve got to have peace – it’s our hemisphere,” President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “The Monroe Doctrine was very important… Other presidents – a lot of them – lost sight of it. I didn’t. I didn’t lose sight.”
The Monroe Doctrine, proclaimed by former President James Monroe in 1823, warned European nations (then the world’s biggest powers) not to colonize the Western Hemisphere further, asserting America’s control and authority over this sphere.
As China, Russia, and other European or even Middle Eastern nations have consolidated control over weapons and energy, it has become increasingly apparent that America must become stronger, not weaker, to survive what could be shaping up to be a global power rearrangement, particularly as Russia refuses to back off its war with Ukraine.