I MENTIONED JIM BENNETT’S SUGGESTION ALONG THESE LINES HERE EARLIER. NOW IT’S GETTING TRACTION: An Alternative to Buying Greenland That Could Actually Work.

Greenlanders are almost entirely indigenous Inuit peoples, not Danes. They have their own language and their own culture. They do not want to be a tiny part of a vast, culturally alien nation.

They don’t want to change which larger country they are part of; they want independence.

So, Denmark doesn’t want to sell to us, and Greenland doesn’t want to join us. Does that mean the case is closed?

Not at all. Trump can use Greenland’s desire for independence to leverage a deal that gives him almost everything he wants while also appealing to Greenland’s and Denmark’s pride and interests.

That’s what a COFA could do. The United States has three such treaties with the Republic of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. The U.S. supplies each with economic aid and access to many government programs such as Medicaid. Imports from these countries are largely tariff-free, and citizens of these nations can live and work in the United States.

In exchange, the U.S. handles all defense obligations. It can exclude other nations’ militaries, has certain rights to station troops and establish bases, and can operate its military forces within these nations’ boundaries.

This would meet the American desire to keep China and, to a lesser extent, Russia out of its backyard. The Arctic Ocean ice is rapidly melting, making the Arctic Sea lanes viable for shipping. China has shown a keen interest in the region, establishing a Polar Silk Road program to encourage its dominance in this increasingly important part of the world.

China has also tried to establish an economic foothold in Greenland. The island is reported to have significant reserves of rare earth minerals needed for modern electronic equipment — and China is currently the globe’s major supplier. It has also tried to exploit Greenland’s control over its own mineral development to start and explore for oil and natural gas.

I like this idea.

Related: Denmark to Trump: Let’s Make a Deal?