this post was submitted on 05 Mar 2025
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[–] CitizenKong@lemmy.world 189 points 2 weeks ago (8 children)

I'm still convinced he only wants Greenland because it looks big on a map.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 100 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Somebody's feeding him grandiose ideas about global warming and northern sea routes. Probably some flattering lies about splitting said routes between them and dominating world trade too, once Canada and the EU are out of the way.

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 19 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

To be fair, China has been investing in thawing sea routes for a while, though largely to free themselves from having to pass through the US-controlled South China Sea.

[–] Nay@feddit.nl 20 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Excuse me? South America Sea*

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Wait… South America is already a thing.

[–] Nay@feddit.nl 5 points 2 weeks ago

But not a sea! I'm guessing it works like email addresses... As long as someone else doesn't have it, you can make it your own

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Can't imagine Trump would be happy keeping the word "South". I think you may need to iterate on that.

[–] Nay@feddit.nl 2 points 2 weeks ago

Trump loves the south. It's where he gets all his rubes.

[–] gnutrino@programming.dev 4 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I don't see how thawing seas help China unless they're planning on retaking Outer Manchuria from Russia?

[–] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

I believe the correct term these days is Personchuria

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not sure what Manchuria has to do with it ... the Chinese are looking for a sea route to deliver goods to Europe.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So they would go north to avoid US control, passing through [checks notes] the US/Japan-controlled East China Sea and the US-controlled Bering Strait?

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Thereby avoiding multiple tight spots and shaving over two weeks off the travel time, yes. And it's not a secret either.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If it's just to avoid navigation hazards and save time, what was your point in mentioning that the South China Sea is "US-controlled?"

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Because the South China Sea is a US-controlled tight spot and such spots are obviously easier to control than the proposed Bering Sea passage.

[–] grue@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't understand. Are you saying that the US has a hard time controlling the waters just off the coast of Alaska? I mean, I get that we don't necessarily "need" to patrol them heavily right now because of the ice, but I don't think that means it would be hard to do so if it became a priority.

[–] federalreverse@feddit.org 1 points 2 weeks ago

But look ... One of these is going to be easier to patrol:

[–] ECB@feddit.org 5 points 2 weeks ago

True, same reason he's hung up on the Panama canal (and why they always get brought up together)

It has room to move people into as climate change makes living in the equatorial regions difficult.

It has a bunch of minerals the USA could use.

It houses a NATO base that if it were in Russia's hands would make it easier for Russia to eventually project force westward.

There are reasons for America to want Greenland. They all happen to be evil which Im fairly positive is a side benefit for the current administration.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Or, he recognises that arctic and subarctic territories are going to be worth much more in the future because of global warming. Trump is a major scatterbrain but in general it looks like he’s acting impulsively based on pieces of trivia, some of them being correct. Not that I agree with proposed solution to the issue but not everything he does is entirely dumb and those are very rarely inconsistent with his own interests.

[–] angrystego@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

He's not acting entirely on his own, he had handlers with a plan.

[–] misk@sopuli.xyz 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

He’s filthy rich now that he’s running a crypto scam for taking in bribes, so I wouldn’t say those are handlers rather than revenue streams. Other people are not in control of Trump, he’s a human wrecking ball that confuses theatre for politics, similar to general population that elected him.

[–] doodledup@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Perfect plan: support fossile fuels, eliminate renuables, buy Greenland, gain the profits from global warming and melting ice.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 10 points 2 weeks ago

Putin wants it. That's why this is happening.

[–] Lazycog@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Damn you web mercator projection! If only Robinson projection was the default on google/apple/whatever trump uses -map.

[–] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

To be fair even on a globe Greenland is still massive. Just not quite as bad on Mercator.

[–] 8fingerlouie@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It is also mostly ice. The entirety of the central Greenland is covered by 1.6km to 3.7km thick ice.

Settlements are around the coast, as Greenland has about 100km roads in total, no railroads and no inland water.

[–] wer2@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago

Republicans hate railroads, so that's actually a plus for them.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

no railroads

Well that is not technically true

[–] 8fingerlouie@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

TouchΓ©.

Its going to be a small invasion using that though.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 1 points 1 week ago

If they bring their own small train, that one fjord is done for.

[–] Lazycog@sopuli.xyz 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yeah but on mercator it looks bigger than Africa. Africa is actually really huge

Edit: wording.

He is dumb enough for that to be utterly believable.

Gaslight Obstruct (Mercator) Project