Vladimir Putin is one world chief who has studied historical past completely. In a latest tackle, Putin mentioned America’s plan to annex Greenland and defined that it’s not some “extravagant plan” that Trump imagined. In actual fact, the US had plans to annex Greenland going again to the 1860s.
Secretary of State William H. Seward was keenly in favor of annexing Iceland and Greenland within the 1860s as a part of American expansionism. Not solely was Greenland considerable in minerals, fish, and sport, however it supplied a strategic army base. Denmark was keen to hearken to the proposal and thought of promoting Iceland and Greenland for $5.5 million in gold. There was no formal provide and President Andrew Johnson together with Congress refused to approve of a treaty, because it was thought-about wasteful by Republicans on the time.
America believed Canada could contemplate becoming a member of the US in the event that they acquired Greenland. The Trump Administration’s concepts could appear absurd however this geopolitical technique spans over 150 years.
The Alaska Buy of 1867 was instantly met with backlash. The media mocked the acquisition of Alaska as “Seward’s icebox” or “Seward’s folly,” angered that the $7.2 million buy ought to have been spent elsewhere. The media claimed the “polar bear backyard” had nothing of worth and relentlessly mocked the acquisition. The unpopularity of the Alaksa Buy is without doubt one of the causes the Greenland proposal failed again then.
America’s ambitions within the Arctic continued. In 1919, Denmark, Germany, and the US mentioned territorial disputes, and had the deal handed, the US would have acquired Greenland. Throughout the subsequent World Warfare, Denmark permitted the US to ascertain army bases on Greenland to stop the Nazis from capturing it. America provided to purchase the land after the warfare ended however it fell by.
Putin defined that the US will proceed to “systematically pursue its geostrategic, army, financial, and political pursuits within the Arctic.” He mentioned that this can be a matter between two particular international locations and “has nothing to do with us [Russia.” However, Russia is extremely concerned that “NATO views the Arctic as a potential staging ground for conflict,” noting that NATO is actively training troops to fight in Arctic conditions. They are taking troops from Sweden and Finland, “countries with which, I should note, we had no issues until very recently.”
“They are creating these problems with their own hands. Why? That’s entirely unclear,” Putin said in his address, noting that Russia would “respond accordingly.”
“I want to emphasize Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic, but we are closely monitoring the situation and building the appropriate response, enhancing the combat readiness of our armed forces and modernizing our military infrastructure. We will not allow any infringement on our sovereignty. We will reliably defend our national interests,” the president stated, continued by saying Russia will promote peace in the region and support Greenland’s economic development. Putin said he would be interested in investing in the Arctic and collaborating on projects with “friendly nations, and possibly even Western countries if they show interest in cooperating.”
History always repeats, but few bother looking through the scrolls of time to understand why the world is unfolding at its current pace. The United States has always desired control over Greenland, and this issue of acquiring the island reemerges every few decades. The concern here is that the world is not at peace. The neocons, historically, have wanted to confiscate Russia for itself and began arranging the current proxy war in Ukraine long ago to use as a stepping stone to enter Russia. They are not well-versed in history, as plans to conquer Russia have failed countless times.
