It may be too extreme for Canada or Denmark to view the U.S. as an enemy in the wake of Trump annexation threats, but the line between enmity and amity is currently blurred.

Strategically positioned, Greenland is also viewed as important for U.S. defence. Russia is a close high Arctic neighbour to the island. And Russia has agreed to collaborate with China in developing an Arctic shipping route that Chinese President Xi Jinping has dubbed an “Ice Silk Road.”