To promote the rivalry with China, hawkish analysts have been spreading a convenient myth about the Cold War that ignores the serious costs to American society and to the many countries that were devastated by direct interventions and proxy wars.

Investment in Pituffik has been inconsistent, however, and its importance has waned since the Cold War. Renewed attention to Greenland could help the U.S. counter Russia’s growing Arctic dominance and China’s ambitions as a “near-Arctic” power.

Trump and his team are still clear about the risks of China’s growing influence—Secretary of State Marco Rubio said as much in Panama on Sunday—so I presume they still see the China threat as outlined in 2017.