Even if Trump's announcements end up being hot air, they will provide fertile ground for Russia, China, and Co. to seize upon as evidence of Western hypocrisy and inconsistency. And in the worst-case scenario, if Trump acts on his words, it could open the floodgates for territorial claims and inspire rival powers to make their own moves.

John Bolton, President-elect Trump’s former national security adviser, said Trump’s unwillingness to rule out military force on Greenland could bolster the positions of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as they seek to justify their expansionist visions.

The island’s rare earth minerals and plum Arctic position have turned it into a geopolitical hotspot and the object of American fantasies.