Judy Gilford
on September 27, 2026
0 views
Trump didn't get the deed to Greenland.
He may have gotten something far more useful.
Under the new agreement with Denmark and Greenland, the United States can expand Pituffik Space Base, establish new defense areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, move American forces between defense areas by land, air and sea, fly military aircraft throughout Greenland, and operate U.S. vessels, including underwater, in Greenlandic territorial waters. The agreement also specifically contemplates Greenland's role in Trump's Golden Dome missile-defense system.
Then there is the part that may matter most over the next 20 or 30 years.
The agreement bars non-NATO countries from establishing military installations or a persistent military presence in Greenland without agreement from the parties. That means Russia and China don't get to quietly establish their own military foothold in one of the most strategically important places in the Arctic.
And this isn't a five-year lease.
The agreement has no expiration date. It is also designed to preserve the U.S. security relationship if Greenland eventually becomes independent from Denmark.
Yet look at some of the framing.
Before the final agreement was signed, The Washington Post led with the fact that Trump's deal **“falls short of takeover.”** AP emphasized that the arrangement keeps Greenland in Denmark's hands. Those facts are true, but they focus heavily on what Trump didn't obtain rather than everything the United States did obtain.
After the agreement was signed, even The Washington Post acknowledged that it gives Washington “wide-ranging powers” in Greenland and called it a foreign-policy achievement.
That's why this cartoon works.
America doesn't own Greenland.
It doesn't need to.
When the objective is defending North America, blocking hostile powers from gaining a military foothold and expanding America's Arctic defenses, the keys may be considerably more important than the deed.
Source: White House agreement, Reuters, Associated Press, The Washington Post
Dimension: 1080 x 1350
File Size: 345.04 Kb
Like (1)
Loading...
1