IS GREENLAND PART OF THIS WAR?

Northern Lights of Greenland

Ponta de Areia / Wayne Shorter

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Today, global technology and the digital media and medium of our time depend more and more on rare earth minerals. Rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metalsor rare earths, and sometimes lanthanoids. Although scandium and yttrium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earth metals. There is a set of 17 nearly indistinguishable lustrous silvery-white soft heavy metals. Compounds containing rare earths have diverse applications in digital components like lasers, glass, magnetic materials and industrial processes.

Mountain Pass in Southeastern California

The only mine for rare earth elements, the building blocks of magnets used in smartphones, wind turbines and electric vehicles, is Mountain Pass in southeastern California. There is increasing evidence that rare minerals might be key to America’s renewable energy future.

Rare earth minerals (and other mineral inputs to leading technology of the time) create a hidden elephant in the room for international global strategy. This strategy relates to a nation’s current and predicted future importance as a supply source for the needs of global digital technology.

In other words, the value of a nation’s rare earth mineral wealth goes up and down depending on the needs of its particular minerals for the current technologies in the global market place. It might be obvious yet still important to note that mineral wealth is not related to military power. Nations with great mineral wealth are subject to takeover by nations with greater military power who possess a need for rare earth minerals.

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Maps of nations should be overlaid with a map of minerals under them. This would provide an important perspective on the global dynamics of politics in the age of minerals needed as inputs for the digital technologies of today.

The below chart from showing rare earth metals in the world provides an important insight into an the elements behind political dynamics in the years ahead. Will technology need rare earth metals more or less? If the answer is turns out to be more, China holds a huge advantage over the United States.

Global Rare Earth Metals

Might the announced interest of Greenland by the incoming Trump administration signal something about acquiring needed rare earth mineral? Looking at the chart, it would double the access of the United States to rare earth metals. Yet, as one can see from the chart, this does not make much of a significant dent in the domination of world rare earth metals by China.

The World with the North Pole in the Center

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Yet looking at the map above, one could also conclude Greenland is essential for global safety as a place for military bases to protect America from nuclear strikes from (mainly) China and Russia. Its importance relates to its geographic positioning.

And perhaps its importance for rare earth minerals.

Many things are unsure in our world but one thing I think is sure is that Donald Trump knows a lot more than he’s telling us (or really can tell us) about the idea of the acquisition of Greenland. The American people should be told the reason for this Greenland interest when Trump becomes President.

Yet whether much is revealed to the American people, an informed citizen has to realize much is being played on a three dimensional board that note only has length and width but also depth.