What to know

Video length: 1m:09s

• President Trump and members of his administration have said in interviews that the U.S. will take control of Greenland "one way or another."
• Greenland, an autonomous (self-governing) country within Denmark, is a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). NATO is a defense agreement between the U.S., many European counties and others such as Canada. As a NATO member, the U.S. already has access to military bases in Greenland.
• The government of Greenland and Denmark have rejected the idea of a U.S. takeover of the territory.

Why it matters

A U.S. military takeover of Greenland would risk ending U.S. alliances. It is unclear who or what would benefit from a hostile takeover.

Discussion questions

• Why is the Trump administration interested in taking control over Greenland?
• Why do you think the Trump administration offers security concerns as a reason, even though the U.S. already has military in Greenland as part of NATO forces?

For more

Read Greenland's party leaders firmly reject Trump's push for U.S. takeover of island or watch the segment below: How Denmark views Trump's threats to take over Greenland.

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