Donald Trump never wanted Greenland the way critics pretended he did. He wanted what serious powers have always wanted: control without conquest. The noise about “buying” Greenland was never literal—it was leverage. Just like the Panama Canal, where Trump’s early bluster vanished the moment American-linked capital pushed Chinese firms aside and Washington secured decisive influence. Ownership was irrelevant. Outcome was everything.
Greenland is Panama at Arctic scale. It dominates the maritime and aerial choke points between North America and Europe, sits atop critical minerals Western supply chains desperately need, and anchors the northern arc of missile warning and interception. That is why, after weeks of pressure, Trump suddenly backed off on tariffs, spoke of a “framework,” and emphasized cooperation at Davos. Because the deal was already taking shape.
Recent moves tell the story. The US is trimming symbolic roles inside NATO while tightening hard capabilities where they actually matter. Advisory posts are cut; radar, airspace, and Arctic access are reinforced. NATO’s secretary general openly credited Trump for forcing Europeans to spend more—an admission that coercion worked. Denmark protested loudly, then quietly accepted that Greenland’s security architecture is no longer negotiable.
This is not imperialism. It is functional absorption. Greenland remains formally Danish, but operationally American-aligned: US air dominance, maritime surveillance, missile defense integration, and resource access locked away from China. No annexation means no rebellion, no legal mess, no moral theater for Europe’s professional protest class.
Trump understands a rule most liberal strategists refuse to accept: in the 21st century, sovereignty is secondary to systems. You do not need flags if you control airspace. You do not need borders if you command logistics. You do not need treaties if your adversaries are structurally excluded.
Panama proved it. Greenland confirms it. The outrage was always the distraction. The control was always the objective.
Jose Lev Alvarez is an American–Israeli scholar specializing in Israeli security doctrine and international geostrategy.
Lev holds a B.S. in Neuroscience with a Minor in Israel Studies from The American University (Washington, D.C.), completed a bioethics course at Harvard University, and earned a Medical Degree.
On the other hand, he also holds three master’s degrees: 1) International Geostrategy and Jihadist Terrorism (INISEG, Madrid), 2) Applied Economics (UNED, Madrid), and 3) Security and Intelligence Studies (Bellevue University, Nebraska).
Currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Intelligence Studies and Global Security at Capitol Technology University in Maryland, his research focuses on Israel’s ‘Doctrine of the Periphery’ and the impact of the Abraham Accords on regional stability.
A former sergeant in the IDF Special Forces “Ghost” Unit and a U.S. veteran, Jose integrates academic rigor, field experience, and intelligence-driven analysis in his work.
Fluent in several languages, he has authored over 250 publications, is a member of the Association for Israel Studies, and collaborates as a geopolitical analyst for Latin American radio and television, bridging scholarship and real-world strategic insight.