Author: Ahmad Hassan

The writer is a research intern at the Strategic Studies, Islamabad. He is currently pursuing a degree in international relations at SPIR, QAU- Islamabad. He can be reached at [email protected].

American Strategic Interest in Greenland

An ice island, which was once a remote and economically marginal part on the world map, has transformed remarkably in the 21st century, now it is known as Greenland. When the US declared its national and strategic security in 2025, its significance further intensified. The detention of Venezuelan president, the renaming of Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and growing strategic interest in Greenland. The American National Security Strategy further asserts that no foreign power will be permitted to exert influence in the Western Hemisphere. The question however arises in mind that how the frozen Iceland has become a focal point of the new cold war. The answer is simple, that the matter is  not about the ice but about the rare earth material. As the story of Middle East in the 20th century, which was not strategically significant because of its deserts, but because of its vast oil reserve.  To clarify this scenario, it is understood that Greenland has become strategically important for all major powers as the rare earth material not for its ice.

Geographically Greenland is situated between North America and Europe along the Arctic Ocean; however,  it is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland has emerged as a contested space, with major powers competing for influence over its resources. Although much of the island is covered by ice, approximately 20 percent of its land remains ice-free. Interestingly, In the era of green technology, territorial control has become strategically significant,  particularly a land which possess large reserves of rare earth elements (REEs). Geologically, under the ice there are three key processes those are mountain building, tectonic rifting, and volcanic activity. In volcanic zones, hydrothermal fluids have led to the formation of particularly valuable REEs, including niobium, tantalum, and ytterbium. The recent survey conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), discovered that northeastern Greenland alone may contain deposits equivalent to approximately 31 billion barrels of oil in economic value. Furthermore, Beneath Greenland’s ice sheet lie three major deposits of rare earth elements (REEs), which are critical for producing batteries and electronic components used in clean energy technologies. The resources of Greenland are enough to supply more than 25% of future global demand. Furthermore, thermostats and opening new Arctic shipping lanes enhance their importance for the major power. Due to transitional energy shifts from non-renewable to renewable energy, China shifts its focus toward Taiwan, Russia’s war in Ukraine extends beyond territorial control and reflects deeper competition over strategic resources. Similarly, The United State is increasingly focusing on Greenland to sustain its dominance amid the global shift towards technological and renewal energy.

China has extended its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) into the Arctic by launching the “Polar Silk Road” in 2018, aiming to reduce its dependence on traditional maritime chokepoints such as the Suez Canal. Similarly, Europe and NATO have primarily relied on military measures to monitor and counter Russia’s activities. Meanwhile. In the Russian eyes, the Arctic Sea is a major corridor for the Northern Sea route and is buffer zone against the NATO forces. To oppose the Chinese policy, the president of U.S, repeatedly asserted that the United States “needs” Greenland for international and national security, framing the territory as essential to countering Russian and Chinese presence in the region rather than simply as an ice-covered island. Both Denmark and Greenland opposed that the territory will not be sold or annexed still, the shift in U.S. policy toward Arctic geostrategic competition reflects that they want to counter Russian and Chinese influence in the region.he Donroe Doctrine has surprised scholarly realm that why Greenland holds strategic importance for the United States. First it recalls the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 which emphasized that every state should exerting influence in the Western Hemisphere and prevent their external powers first. Secondly. The U.S will reduce its dependence on China for critical rare earth minerals to advance their own technologies. Third, the GIUK (Greenland–Iceland–United Kingdom) gap in the Arctic has become a crucial strategic zone that the U.S. seeks to monitor for both national and international security concerns. Finally, the Greenland contains substantial fresh waters reserves and the U.S wants to secure it. Collectively these factors attract all major powers towards Greenland, which has become a focal point for great powers in the 21st century.

The idea of Greenland began in 2018, when a friend of U.S president suggested that it would be the best deal of the 21st century. Since then, after the months period. Private investors formed a company in Greenland named Kobold Metals. Private investors have also launched an AI-based urban project called Praxis. The main goal of private investors was to use AI to detect critical minerals in Greenland. Meanwhile, they acquired Lake Tasersiaq to develop a hydropower project to meet Greenland’s energy needs. In 2026, after the announcement about acquiring Greenland, the share price of Critical Metals Corp (CMC) rose because the company holds mining rights to Tanbreez, the world’s largest rare-earth deposit. Although this appears theoretically complex, the connection between power and money exists everywhere, as the world is driven by power, and power is largely derived from wealth.

Fareed Zakaria:

“New world order is emerging, but it is not clear what form it will take”

Conclusively, Greenland is a symbol of climate change, emerging technology, and great power rivalry that are redesigning global order. For United States, it is gateway to technological leadership, mineral security, and Arctic dominance. Similarly, it creates the opportunities and challenges for the Russia and China. This shows that the era of new cold war will not a conventional warfare, however, it will be hybrid warfare. In this contemporary era, major powers will unlock the Arctic frozen frontier to reach its minerals buried beneath its ice.

Soft Power Rivalry: How China is Challenging U.S. Dominance

After the end of WW2, two major powers, the USSR and the U.S, emerged at the forefront to spread their ideologies. Both rely heavily on hard power. However, when the era of the Cold War ended and the world order shifted to a unipolar system, the U.S dominated through soft power. At this time, it was realized that military power is not enough to maintain its global influence; soft power is also needed. According to the report of Global Soft Power Index by Brand Finance (2025), China has ascended to the world’s second most influential soft power nation, marking a shift toward a bipolar international system. This article aims to analyze how China is challenging the USA’s dominance in soft power and gradually filling the vacuum left by its own faltering diplomacy.

Power is the essential element of states to protect their sovereignty. It cannot solely rely on hard power. In the 21st century, the image of soft power has emerged among states, which contains three main pillars: political values, cultural and foreign policy. Economics and military are also needed.

Professor Joseph Nye explains the soft power that ‘The best propaganda is not propaganda but the natural appeal of culture, values, and policies that attract others voluntarily’. Joseph Nye explains hard power like wielding a stick and soft power like a magnet. He also suggests that certain elements of hard power can be transformed into soft power, such as the provision of naval ships by the US for tsunami relief in Indonesia in 2004, which had a significant impact on the region.

After World War II, the United States consolidated its soft power dominance by winning the hearts and minds of European people under the trauma doctrine and the Marshall Plan. It established international institutions such as the United Nations (UN), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and NATO, which provided the structural influence over global governance. Beyond institutions, American culture spread globally through Hollywood films, music, and media, while the English language became the lingua franca of science, trade, and diplomacy, further embedding U.S. influence.

After the end of the Cold War, the U.S has been shooting itself in the foot with its undesirable and unattractive foreign policy, which lost its soft power. Firstly, the USA military operations, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan can never be termed a success in any meaningful sense of the word. Secondly, the Trump administration further weakened the soft power of the U.S by pursuing tariffs, unilateralism, and the withdrawal of global agreements such as the Paris Climate Accord (2015), UNESCO (2017), JCPOA and the WHO (2020). Thirdly, the USA provides aid to other countries under specific political conditions, such as promoting democracy and respecting human rights that align with U.S. strategic interests. All these situations created the gap and opened space for emerging powers like China to expand their influence.

China has been gaining soft power for a long time. It became a major economic force in the 1990s. However, it continues to be seen by the world as a communist and authoritarian state. During the 17th National Congress of the Chinese communist party, the term soft power was first used in 2007. This soft power gradually increased during the period of Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping.

In the global financial crisis, the economies of Western countries fell. However, China’s economy was seen as steady and expanding. Due to this confidence, Xi Jinping announced the Belt and Road Initiative to expand its influence worldwide. China also focused on its traditional culture and climate diplomacy to increase its impact. All these actions challenged the Western narratives. In 2017, the incumbent Chinese president announced his vision, “Community of Shared Future for Mankind”. By this idea, China has become a responsible global player.

To increase the Chinese culture, China focused on its education diplomacy. 500 Confucius institutes were founded across the globe. The Chinese government offers scholarships to several students worldwide. When these students return home, they have a positive view of China. In this way, China successfully expands its influence all over the world. It is said that China use the instrumental education diplomacy based on mutual respect, while the United States use the value-based soft power. Similarly, China has also employed climate diplomacy as an attraction tactic. To fill the leadership void left by the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017, Beijing promoted the idea of “ecological civilization.” President Xi declared in 2020 that China would reach carbon neutrality by 2060 and peak emissions prior to 2030. For this purpose, China positions itself as a “climate leader,” and participates in major climate forums (COP, UNFCCC) and funds green technology in Global South countries.

The other main element is that China helps other countries without imposing political conditions. Under the soft power strategy, China’s digital platforms are reshaping global communication. Chinese culture and language promotion, technological innovation, and quick development in fields like telecommunications, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence, like deep-seek, have made China a global leader. In this way, China strengthened its soft power throughout the Global South and promoted sustainability.

There are also significant obstacles on both sides of the US-China soft power rivalry. Along with internal political divisions and decreasing international trust, the United States’ credibility is declining following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. China, on the other hand, faces criticism for human rights, claims of creating debt traps through the BRI, their authoritarian government, and censorship. Both powers struggle to maintain long-term attraction, which reduces the total impact of their soft power despite their widespread influence. Bipolar competition is replacing unipolar competition in today’s globe. The future will rely on which nation can continue to inspire confidence and appeal around the world without causing further rifts.