{"id":718,"date":"2026-01-15T15:48:23","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=718"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:48:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:48:23","slug":"greenland-worry-over-trumps-push-for-mineral-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=718","title":{"rendered":"Greenland Worry Over Trump\u2019s Push for Mineral Access","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Arctic town of Ilulissat, overlooking an ice fjord on Greenland<\/strong><\/a> western coast, fisherman Joel Hansen says he feels deep anxiety over the possibility that the island could one day fall under United States<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> control.<\/p>\n

Hansen\u2019s fears follow repeated statements by Donald Trump<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>, who has said Greenland will become part of the United States \u201cone way or another,\u201d without ruling out the use of military force. While the Trump administration frames Greenland as strategically vital to U.S. national security, residents and analysts believe the island\u2019s vast and largely untapped mineral resources are a central factor behind Washington\u2019s interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am terrified to be American,\u201d Hansen told Al Jazeera<\/span><\/span>, speaking from Ilulissat, where he has fished among towering icebergs for 14 years. \u201cI\u2019ve seen how Alaskan Inuits live. Life is hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Concerns Over Culture and Daily Life<\/h4>\n

Hansen, who is of both Inuit and Danish heritage, says he worries that a U.S. takeover would fundamentally alter the way of life in Greenland. Despite Greenland\u2019s complicated history with Denmark<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, which began colonising the island in 1721, he believes remaining tied to Denmark may offer more protection for local communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Greenland because we have the freedom to work for ourselves,\u201d he said, referring to the independence many fishermen enjoy.<\/p>\n

Greenland has held home rule since 1979 and gained expanded autonomy under the Self-Government Act of 2009, yet it remains part of the Danish kingdom and politically aligned with Europe. Geographically, however, it sits within North America, a point frequently cited by U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

\n

A Wealth of Untapped Resources<\/h4>\n

Greenland\u2019s vast size and harsh climate have left much of its mineral wealth undeveloped. The island is believed to hold significant deposits of zinc, iron, uranium and graphite, as well as the world\u2019s eighth-largest reserves of rare-earth elements.<\/p>\n

\"Greenland<\/p>\n

These minerals are essential for modern technologies, including wind turbines, electric vehicles, smartphones, advanced weapons systems and fighter jets. U.S. officials have expressed particular concern over supply chains, noting that China<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a> controls a large share of global rare-earth production and processing.<\/p>\n

Although only two mines are currently operating in Greenland, many residents believe the island could eventually build its own mining and processing capacity. \u201cWe have enough resources to stand on our own,\u201d Hansen said. \u201cWe don\u2019t need money from Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Inuit Communities Voice Alarm<\/h4>\n

Inuit communities around Ilulissat, which recently saw the sun return after months of polar night, fear that large-scale U.S. involvement would prioritize extraction over people.<\/p>\n

Ahead of high-level talks in Washington between Danish and Greenlandic officials and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio<\/span><\/span><\/strong> and Vice President JD Vance<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, Inuit Greenlander Karl Sandgreen expressed hope that U.S. leaders would consider the human impact of their policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that there will be humanity in those talks,\u201d said Sandgreen, head of the Ilulissat Icefjord visitor centre.<\/p>\n

He said Inuit culture, which has existed in Greenland for thousands of years, risks being sidelined by outside economic interests. \u201cWe are totally different. We are Inuit. This is our home,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is my children\u2019s future \u2014 not a future for people who only think about resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Uncertain Future<\/h4>\n

While Greenland\u2019s government has not endorsed any change in sovereignty, Trump\u2019s remarks have heightened unease across the island. For many Greenlanders, the debate is no longer just about geopolitics or minerals, but about identity, autonomy and the survival of an ancient way of life.<\/p>\n

As international attention on Greenland intensifies, residents like Hansen say they can only hope decisions made far from the Arctic will take their voices into account.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Arctic town of Ilulissat, overlooking an ice fjord on Greenland western coast, fisherman Joel Hansen says he feels deep anxiety over the possibility that the island could one day fall under United States control. Hansen\u2019s fears follow repeated statements by Donald Trump, who has said Greenland will become part of the United States […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=718"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":721,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions\/721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}