The United States is considering a deal that would give it sovereign control over military bases in Greenland, mirroring Britain’s colonial-era arrangement in Cyprus, according to The New York Times.
Western officials told the newspaper that one proposal under discussion would allow the US to own pockets of land in Greenland for military bases, similar to the 60-year-old agreement under which Britain operates Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.
President Trump said he had reached a tentative deal with NATO over Greenland, though few details have emerged about the framework, the Times reported.
The Cyprus bases occupy an unusual position in international law that is rooted in Britain’s colonial history. Experts told the newspaper that Trump may be interested in a similar arrangement because it could give the US a permanent presence in Greenland with greater control over the region and possibly the ability to exploit natural resources in the territory and the Arctic.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Thursday he was not in favour of giving the US sovereignty over military bases there. “We are ready to discuss a lot of things,” Nielsen said, according to the Times. “Sovereignty is a red line.”
Cyprus bases grant more control than standard military posts
The British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus consist of two large areas in the southwest and southeast of the island, making up about 100 square miles. They were established in 1960 as part of an agreement that gave Cyprus independence from Britain.
The bases are British overseas territories, like Bermuda and the Falkland Islands. Whilst they resemble US military outposts like Guantanamo Bay in Cuba or Kadena Air Base in Japan, the Cyprus territories are subject to British sovereignty.
Professor Costas M. Constantinou, who teaches international relations at the University of Cyprus, told the Times that British law officially applies and the Sovereign Base Areas are not in the Republic of Cyprus or the EU. The S.B.A.s have separate court systems and police agencies, though borders are largely open and no passport is needed for Cypriots to enter, according to the report.
Constantinou told the newspaper that creating American bases in Greenland similar to those in Cyprus would likely be more beneficial to the US than taking over all of Greenland, which Trump said was his initial goal. Such an arrangement would allow the US to avoid the expensive issues that come with governing populations whilst bringing the bases under full US control, he said.
Bases could enable resource exploitation
The S.B.A.s in Cyprus do not grant Britain an exclusive economic zone that would allow it to exploit natural resources in nearby waters, Professor Andreas Stergiou, who teaches about European institutions and international relations at the University of Thessaly, told the Times.
“The United Kingdom never, never attempted to raise a claim in the mineral exploitation of Cyprus,” he said, according to the report. “Because they don’t have full sovereignty.”
In Greenland, however, that is something Trump could negotiate, Stergiou told the newspaper. “If the United States intends to exploit the minerals that are to be found in and around Greenland, they have to include a special provision in the treaty,” he said.
The US already has one military base in Greenland’s north and enjoys sweeping military access to the territory, the Times reported. Creating a sovereign base could be a “steppingstone” that would allow the US to raise additional sovereign claims in future disputes over Arctic resources, Stergiou said.
Cyprus experience shows tensions possible
Establishing a sovereign base area on Greenland could lead to tensions with locals and other world powers, the Times reported, citing Cyprus as a guide.
Britain initially paid Cyprus around 12 million Cyprus pounds (roughly $33 million) from 1960 to 1965 before halting payments, according to the report. Since then, there have been unsuccessful attempts by Cyprus to force Britain to pay for the use of the land.
Cypriots have been critical of the bases, which they say were created at independence without approval of the general population, the Times reported. The bases have played roles in Middle East conflicts and have been sites of demonstrations against military actions in Iraq and the genocide in Gaza.
Stergiou told the newspaper that a sovereign US military presence in Greenland would likely draw similar attention. “The bases might enhance the security environment and the security of Greenland,” he said. “However, it entails the risk to embroil Greenland into conflicts Greenland has nothing to do with.”
Greenlanders gathered in several cities and towns last weekend to protest Trump’s plans to take over the territory, the Times reported.
Protests against the British bases in Cyprus have never snowballed or become overly violent, Constantinou told the newspaper, because the country has been distracted by its own political and ethnic disputes for decades. He noted that some locals support the British military presence, especially those employed by the S.B.A.s.
Some argue that any deal establishing a sovereign base area would reverse international principles of self-determination in place since World War II ended, according to the report.
“These are new forms of colonialism through which imperial powers manage to retain control without the burden of governance,” Constantinou told the Times. “They are more palatable, more acceptable forms of sovereign control.”
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