US Attack on Venezuela Raises Anxieties of Potential Greenland Acquisition.

Recent American military action in Venezuela and the detention of its president have ignited worry regarding America's designs on the Arctic territory. Followers of the ex-president's base have reportedly turned their attention to the strategically important island in the wake of the operations in South America.

Inflammatory Messages and Official Outrage

Merely a short time following the commencement of the Venezuelan campaign, a well-known conservative podcaster, who is the spouse of a senior presidential adviser, shared a suggestive map. The picture depicted Greenland covered in the stars and stripes, with the single-word caption: "COMING."

This overt threat to absorb the resource-abundant region, which is a part of the NATO alliance, triggered immediate and strong condemnation from Danish officials.

"We are close allies and should keep cooperate as such. US security is equally the Arctic's and our security," declared the Copenhagen's envoy to the United States. "The Kingdom of Denmark and the US collaborate to ensure security in the North."

The ambassador additionally highlighted that Denmark had substantially boosted its defence spending this year, earmarking a substantial sum specifically for Arctic and North Atlantic security. "Furthermore, we expect complete respect for the territorial integrity of the our realm," he emphasized.

Administrative Moves and Strategic Interests

The tensions were further exacerbated by the previous naming of a US state governor as a representative to Greenland. The governor had openly expressed gratitude to the president, stating it was an "privilege" to work in a unpaid capacity to "bring Greenland into the US."

Following the military action in Venezuela, this representative commended the administration's decisive move, linking it to the wider "war on drugs."

Ever since assuming office, the American leader has repeatedly unnerved European partners with his stated interest in Greenland. The island is viewed as vitally strategic for national security and future resource extraction. It currently houses the northernmost US air base.

Refusing to Rule Out Military Action

In a notable media interview, the leader declined to exclude the use of military force to acquire Greenland. This stance comes amid intensifying great-power rivalry in the Arctic. "I don't rule it out. I don't say I'm going to do it, but I don't rule out anything... We need Greenland very badly," he remarked.

He described Greenland as having a "tiny amount of people, which we’ll look after, and we’ll cherish them... But we need that for international security."

Growing Tensions and Local Resistance

In reaction to this constant "drumbeat" of threats, Denmark's intelligence service took the extraordinary step last month of classifying the United States as a "potential threat."

The prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland issued a unified and forceful statement: "We have said it very clearly before. Now we say it again... You must not take over other countries."

Public opinion in Greenland shows a nuanced picture. While a overwhelming percentage of the territory's residents desire independence from Denmark, there is simultaneously little to no desire to join the United States. The territory has had the legal right to seek independence for over a decade.

Expert View: A Credible Scenario?

Military analysts are now reconsidering the likelihood of such a action. One thinktank director focusing in defence conceded she had previously dismissed the rhetoric but was "now not so sure."

"Logistically, it would be feasible for the US to deploy a few hundred or a couple thousand soldiers inside of Greenland, and it's unclear to me which power could do anything about it," she observed.