Country Talk

Greenland might be having second thoughts:

Trump has made this a much bigger subject in his transition into a second non-consecutive term, and at first Denmark scoffed at the notion. They are not scoffing now, Axios reports, as it has become apparent that Trump is very serious about the strategic risks of Greenland's status and wants the US to firmly control that region. The government in Copenhagen has opened talks to see if Trump would be willing to settle for a deal short of a sale:

Behind the scenes: The sources said the Danish government wants to avoid a public clash with the new U.S. administration, and asked members of the Trump team for clarification regarding what exactly the president-elect meant in his comments earlier this week. In the messages passed to the Trump team, the Danish government made clear Greenland was not for sale but expressed readiness to discuss any other U.S. request regarding the island, the sources said. The U.S. already has a military base on Greenland and an agreement with Denmark dating to 1951 on defending the island, under which an increase of U.S. forces could easily be discussed. Danish officials have already said they are looking into further measures to increase investment in military infrastructure and capabilities in Greenland, in consultation with the Greenlandic government.

The latter is a complication in any discussions over the status of Greenland. It functions as a semi-autonomous enclave, where fewer than 60,000 native Danes actually live. Copenhagen only controls its external functions -- trade and security -- while the Greenlanders govern themselves in all other areas. The Greenlanders don't want to become Americans (at the moment), but they also don't want to remain under the Danes any longer either. They want independence, which is not in the interests of either the US or Denmark.

Make way for the 52nd state...