Frank Herbert's Dune famously told us, "He who controls the spice controls the universe.” In 2026, it sounds like it's a case of he who controls Greenland could control the universe. While you might think a snow-covered landmass with a population of less than 57,000 and the world's largest national park might not be of much interest, the USA has shown that Greenland could be key in upcoming conflicts.
The Doomsday Clock ticks closer to midnight with every day, and with continued fears that World War III is knocking at the door, Greenland has become an unlikely pawn in this real-life game of Risk.
Why does the USA want Greenland?
Away from strange viruses lurking under the ice, an interest in Greenland is nothing new for the USA. The construction of Pituffik Space Base remains a lost relic of the Cold War, while the USA's abandoned plans for Project Iceworm were supposed to create a network of nuclear missile sites under Greenland.
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The autonomous territory has grabbed the attention of President Donald Trump, because, as well as being a mineral goldmine, Greenland's location means it could be key in detecting potential missiles fired against the USA from Russia.
Forbes reports that White House National Security Advisor John Bolton confirmed Estée Lauder heir Ronald Lauder gave Trump the idea of claiming Greenland during his first term.
It's said that Lauder has since invested in an unprofitable Greenlandic freshwater bottling company that's co-owned by the local chair of Greenland's governing Siumut party and the husband of its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vivian Motzfeldt.
In a February 2025 op-ed in the New York Post, Lauder stopped short of the White House's recent musings about actually buying Greenland, but instead, said that investment from American powers could create "a new trilateral agreement with Greenland and Denmark to formalize Arctic cooperation."
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There are already concerns about political interference, but now, some of the world's richest are said to be dipping their hands in their pockets and sending their dollars to Greenland.
What is Greenland's 'Freedom City'?
Lauder has already referred to Greenland as 'America's next frontier', and he might not be alone in these thoughts. Forbes continues to explain how Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Michael Bloomberg have all invested in KoBold Metals since 2019. The company uses AI-powered tools to search Greenland for valuable rare earth minerals, and if an initial run of investing wasn't enough, Gates' Breakthrough Energy fund participated in December 2024's Series C investment round. OpenAI's Sam Altman is also said to have taken part in 2022's Series B funding round that had a total size of $192.5 million.
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Speaking to New Scientist, Anne Merrild, a professor of sustainability and planning at Aalborg University in Denmark, warned about the idea of a so-called Freedom City in Greenland. President Trump introduced the idea as part of his 2024 campaign, proposing a network of 10 master-planned cities on federal land in the United States. However, the concept of 'freedom cities' extends far beyond this.
Praxis is a start-up that is looking to build a technologically advanced freedom city that's described as an "internet-native nation" and could hold up to 10,000 people. Backed by PayPal's Peter Thiel, Altman, and even the Winklevoss twins, potential Praxis locations have been scouted in the Mediterranean and Greenland.
With Brown traveling to Greenland in 2023 in an attempt to 'buy' it, Merrild reminds us: "Greenland is not an empty space waiting to be experimented on. It has communities, democratic institutions and a strong sense of self-determination."
She went on to conclude: "Any proposals such as network cities or freedom cities would have to align with Greenland law, values and long-term social goals, and so far these ideas seem disconnected from reality."
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Forbes claims that a January 2026 SEC filing points to KoBold raising additional funds, suggesting that even more billionaires could put Greenland in their sights. Bezos, Gates, Bloomberg, and Altman declined to comment on the story.