Former NATO chief suggests Trump is right about Greenland

The former leader of NATO just suggested that President-Elect Donald Trump is right about the importance of Greenland to the United States. 

According to Just the News, former NATO supreme allied commander James Stavridis indicated as much over the weekend, during an appearance on The Cats Roundtable on WABC 770 AM.

This comes after Trump has made public remarks suggesting that he is interested in acquiring Greenland for the United States. There will be more on this in a moment.

First, though, we'll look at what Stavridis had to say.

"Not Crazy"

On Sunday, Stavridis argued that Trump's ideas about Greenland are "not crazy."

He said:

It’s not a crazy idea. … We could do an awful lot in terms of business, investment, box out the Russians, box out the Chinese, and work very closely with Greenland

These, indeed, are some of the reasons why Trump wants Greenland.

Stavridis, earlier in the interview, explained that Greenland is a "strategic goldmine for the United States. He said:

It sits at the very top of the North Atlantic. It protects approaches to our own country. … It’s geographically very important. It’s full of strategic minerals, rare earth, probably a lot of gold. It’s got a lot of natural resources

He went on to suggest that Greenland can be "an economic objective for us," without having to become "the 51st state."

Background

Trump has made it clear in recent weeks that he is eyeing up Greenland.

Trump has said:

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.

At a recent news conference, Trump, according to the Associated Press, said "that he wouldn’t rule out using force or economic pressure in order to make Greenland — a semiautonomous territory of Denmark — a part of the United States."

Just how far Trump will go to get Greenland, once he enters the White House, is unclear. But, there is no doubt about the importance of Greenland to the United States.

The Associated Press explains why, writing:

Greenland has a population of 57,000. But it’s a vast territory possessing natural resources that include oil, gas, and rare earth elements, which are expected to become more accessible as ice melts because of climate change. It also has a key strategic location in the Arctic, where Russia, China and others are seeking to expand their footprint.