00:00What if the next U.S. state wasn't in North America, but in the Arctic, a massive island
00:25of ice, minerals, and military importance, Greenland?
00:30It sounds like science fiction, but a new bill in Congress has made it a real political
00:35conversation.
00:36A Republican congressman from Florida, Representative Randy Fine, has introduced legislation that
00:42could open the door for the United States to annex Greenland and possibly turn it into
00:47the 51st estate.
00:49Hi, I'm Congressman Randy Fine.
00:52For more than 200 years, the United States has operated under the premise of the Monroe
00:56Doctrine, that we are in charge of what happens in our hemisphere.
01:00Well, we live in a different world, where Russia and China present real strategic threats to
01:04our country, which is why I support President Trump in making Greenland part of the United
01:09States.
01:10We need it for the trade routes.
01:12We need it to put something between us and Russia, and we need it for the natural minerals
01:16that it has.
01:17So I support the president, and that's why I filed a bill to codify what President Trump
01:21is trying to do in Greenland, and I hope Congress will take it up and vote for it soon.
01:26And yes, this connects directly to President Donald Trump's long-running fascination with
01:31the island.
01:33The bill would authorize the president to take whatever steps necessary to annex or otherwise
01:38acquire Greenland.
01:39It also forces Congress to examine how U.S. federal law would need to change if Greenland
01:45were admitted as a state.
01:48If passed, it would officially be called the Greenland Annexation and Statehood Act.
01:54That name alone has already triggered backlash across the globe.
01:58So, why does the U.S. even want Greenland?
02:01Location, location, location.
02:04Greenland sits in a strategic Arctic position that affects missile defense, Arctic shipping
02:09lanes, satellite and radar systems, and access to rare earth minerals.
02:15As climate change melts Arctic ice, new shipping routes are opening, and suddenly Greenland is
02:21no longer remote, it's central.
02:24The Arctic is becoming the next geopolitical chessboard.
02:29Russia has heavily militarized the region.
02:32China has declared itself a near-Arctic state and is investing in polar infrastructure.
02:38Supporters of the bill argue that if America doesn't step in, rival powers will.
02:43Even though there's no evidence China or Russia are close to taking over Greenland, U.S.
02:48officials say waiting would be a strategic mistake.
02:52Here's where things get complicated.
02:55Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally.
02:59Under international law, annexation without consent is illegal.
03:04Any use of force would potentially collapse NATO unity.
03:08Denmark has made it crystal clear, Greenland is not for sale.
03:13Many Greenlanders support eventual independence from Denmark, but polls show the vast majority
03:18do not want to become Americans.
03:21Greenland's Prime Minister recently summed it up perfectly.
03:24We don't want to be Americans.
03:26We don't want to be Danes.
03:28We want to be Greenlanders.
03:30Even inside the U.S., the idea is deeply controversial.
03:34Both Democrats and Republicans have pushed back against any suggestion of military action.
03:40A Democratic lawmaker has already introduced a bill to block federal funds from being used
03:45to pursue U.S. control of Greenland or expand the military footprint there.
03:51That means this proposal faces a very steep climb in Congress.
03:55A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is traveling to Denmark to meet with Danish and Greenlandic officials.
04:02Whether the bill passes or not, it's already done something important.
04:06It has dragged Greenland and the Arctic into the center of global politics.
04:11So could Greenland really become the 51st state?
04:15Probably not anytime soon.
04:17But the fact that this conversation is happening tells us one thing.
04:21The Arctic is the next frontier of global power.
04:24And Greenland, it might just be the most important island on Earth.
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