Rubio's Pressure on Greenland Delivers a Major Diplomatic Victory for the US Against China

The aim of Marco Rubio's diplomatic trip from Panama to Iceland is to secure vital sea lanes and counter China's threat to US interests.

Rubio on Greenland military development deal: It's permanent

China seeks to replace the United States as the world's leading superpower and the key to its strategy of securing vital sea lanes. A country that can control the fate of its sea lanes will have leverage over markets and the type of system on which global trade will rely, access to limited natural resources, and a significant ability to project power far from its shores. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is planning and executing a diplomatic drive from Panama to Greenland and now Iceland to unseat China, protect its reach and interests, and build America's long-term advantage.

Some 40 years ago, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev met in Reykjavik, Iceland, marking the beginning of a warming of Cold War tensions. Rubio returned to the meeting where Reagan refused to surrender his vision of a space-based missile shield to the Soviets, reminding the world that the High North was still important to American power and interests.

Rubio, standing next to Iceland's foreign minister, noted that the site was an "important post to monitor the covert behavior and deterrence of our adversaries." When asked by a reporter if the US might expand its military footprint there, he would not commit to plans but stressed that doing so would require Iceland's consent. Negotiations will continue, and although he did not mention Russia or China, these are countries that now pose acute threats to the United States and its allies.

Trump's obsession with Greenland is no accident. What is at stake here?

Reykjavík's trip follows a major recent agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark. This agreement ensures that the United States can prevent the Chinese from establishing a permanent plan in the Arctic. Critics of the deal have said the talks between Washington and Copenhagen were "much ado about nothing" given that China is not (yet) in Greenland.

This misses the point. As the ice melts, Arctic shipping lanes become increasingly navigable, creating new sea lanes (and thus choke points) that will shape global shipping and military posture for decades to come. The agreement gives Washington the authority to block non-NATO commercial and military presence in Greenland, a direct role in vetting and accelerating foreign investment in critical sectors, overflight, missile defense access and unrestricted undersea access throughout Greenland's territorial waters.

Trump wins historic deal with Greenland as he guarantees US "permanent" military rights

Crucially, the agreement respects Greenland's sovereignty, a non-negotiable issue for Denmark, while remaining in effect forever, regardless of whether Greenland ever becomes independent. In doing so, the deal clarifies where the 1951 treaty was silent. Rejecting this agreement, perhaps due to the desire to deny the Trump administration credibility, also reduces the real concessions and diplomatic skills of the Danes. Moreover, the deal was just in time for NATO, whose solid solidarity is key as Russia ramps up its campaign of terrorist attacks across the alliance to erode support for Ukraine.

For years, both the Chinese and Panamanian governments denied Chinese control over the Panama Canal. But the president said the Chinese had illegally deployed troops to operate the canal and that a Chinese company was illegally tolling passage through the canal at the expense of the United States, which has paid billions of dollars to maintain the canal, where 72 percent of all ships (according to the US government) transit to or from an American port.

China's Influence Machine: Federal Records Reveal Beijing's Push to Influence America

For years, the United States was asleep at the wheel, allowing China's gradual commercial expansion to dominate the canal. After Rubio's talks with the Panamanians, a Panamanian court ruled that the contract to operate container terminals at the Pacific and Atlantic entrances of the canal violated the Constitution and terminated the contract.

Some have praised President Donald Trump's "art of the deal" for these diplomatic successes, of making maximum demands, including threats of aggression against trusted allies, in the hope of reaching an agreement somewhere below, but close to, the initial threat. But this is the wrong lesson to learn here.

Trump's set of Greenland deals to sign after a months-long battle over US control

Trump's threats to take Greenland by force did not help the US reach a deal with the Danes, who have been good allies. Instead, it caused panic across NATO, undermining the administration's efforts to update and strengthen the alliance. Progress toward a deal only began when Trump stopped his threats in response to the attack.

On January 21, on the eve of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump's threats contributed to a sharp decline in financial markets. Polls showed that 91 percent of American voters opposed taking Greenland by military force, and Congress strongly opposed it.

According to Rubio, the Trump administration believes that the security of the United States remains tied to Europe, and that the United States must ensure that NATO is strong so that it can continue to provide "deterrence against hostility" that "makes our nations and continents safer from foreign threats and safer for our people."

The threats were a distraction. Foresight and effective diplomacy is the real story. And on that front, Rubio made significant gains for the president and the country over the Chinese and Russians.

Get roundups of top reviews and original content throughout the week.