Since we published “The Case for Greenland,” where I describe a comprehensive framework for America “acquiring” the territory — the many reasons it makes sense for all nations involved, strategies for making the deal a reality, etc. — a lot has happened (but no, Greenland is still not going to become a state). So much that it seems that, in spite of Greenland’s decision to continue demanding sovereignty, or maybe because of it, a free-association-type deal focused on economics and defense like the one I described in my piece doesn’t appear to be out of the question. Greenland is not happy with the status quo under Denmark, they want out sooner rather than later, and, while definitely not “for sale” per se, the territory has initiated talks with Trump and is keen on reaching some sort of agreement with America.

Let’s get oriented: on December 22nd, 2024, a day before we published my piece, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “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.” This comment instigated most of what has come to pass since then. The next day, Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede plainly responded that Greenland is “not for sale.” And on Christmas Eve, clearly nervous about Trump’s overtures, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced an “extra budget of double-digit billion krones” for increased defense measures in the Arctic.

That’s that, then, right? Greenland’s not interested, Denmark is picking up their slack, case closed, everybody goes home? Not quite.