Padraig Martin (@PadraigMartin)

The real reason Trump wants Greenland If you are wondering why Greenland is suddenly getting a lot of attention, it is the following: Greenland sits on the largest deposits of weapons and technological grade rare earth elements in the world. The Chinese are aggressively going into Greenland and staking claims on land for the mining and cultivation of these rare earth elements. The Danes are letting this happen. Why? The short answer is money. The Danish can sell the mining rights without breaking EU rules. Greenland enjoys a "sub-national" exemption from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. China has a massive Greenhouse Gas Exclusion (compliments of the Biden Administration) and no monetary fine for breaking the rules as part of the accords. The Americans, by virtue of the same accords, have massive financial penalties assessed for breaking the greenhouse gas rules (paid primarily to China - the largest polluter in the world). Correspondingly, if the US owned Greenland, it would not only enjoy the rare earth elements of the territory, but would also inherit the sub-national territorial exemption from mining them. The US could kick out China, take the elements, and enjoy complete gobal treaty immunity. In sum, Trump is smart to want Greenland. It would be a massive win for the US, if the Americans could pull it off. This will be discussed further when Dixie on the Rocks returns this weekend.