A Reflection on Geopolitics in 2025
Greenland’s True Size
When Donald Trump expressed unhealthy interest in buying Greenland, a friend suggested an alternative: Greenland could become Canada’s fourth territory. Unlike the U.S., Greenland is only a few kilometers from Canada and shares linguistic, cultural, and colonial histories with Canada’s Inuit. A land claim agreement like Nunavut’s could be arranged. He speculated that Russia, China, and the U.S. might support such a move since it would prevent any one of them from establishing a military base while ensuring passage rights for all.
I dismissed the idea. As far as I knew, Greenland had no interest in joining another country. The matter was not open for discussion unless Greenland itself initiated it. My friend agreed. His intention was simply to explore Greenland’s options in the face of external threats.
He then noted that Greenland is not as large as some believe. The Mercator projection on maps exaggerates landmasses near the poles, making Greenland appear immense, comparable in size to Africa when Africa is actually 14 times larger. Similar distortions occur making northern landmasses like the U.S., Canada, and Russia seem much larger than they are. On a globe, Greenland’s proportions are accurate—perhaps Trump would back off if he looked at one!
Finding a Globe
I hadn’t seen a globe in years—a spherical model of Earth, something I can hold in my hands. Unlike digital maps, globes depict landmasses and bodies of water without distortion. Some even feature raised relief for mountains and other landforms.
Globes have largely fallen out of use, replaced by digital maps, GPS, and interactive tools like Google Earth. Digital alternatives are accessible on smartphones, offering real-time updates, zoom functions, and satellite imagery. Paper maps and screens are also more practical for daily use, while globes are bulky, static, and quickly outdated as political boundaries shift.
I could have ordered a globe online, but Amazon represents everything wrong with globalization—cheap manufacturing, exploitative labor, retail collapse, dopamine-fueled shopping, warehouse abuses, gig economy logistics, and Jeff Bezos growing ever wealthier. Instead, I asked around. A friend directed me to Rupert Treasures, a local second-hand shop. The clerk said that they had a beautiful globe on a stand but it had just sold. He suggested a nearby antiques shop, and it had three, all labeled in French. I bought one for $20.
My callout for a globe inspired more offers. My sister-in-law offered to mail me a children’s globe with a digital pen. Another friend gifted me an old family globe still showing the USSR.
Russia and Ukraine
On the older globe, the Soviet Union appears as one massive yellow landmass. In 1991, its dissolution created fifteen independent countries, the largest being Russia. On my newer globe, Russia is in green and about three-quarters the size of the former USSR. Ukraine, much smaller—about 1/28 the size of Russia—is a purple landmass bordering the Black Sea and Europe.
There is no universal standard for globe colors, but I noted that Greenland is green on both globes.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was framed as a strategic move to reclaim influence, prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, and secure economic and military interests. But I wonder if there is a simpler motive—an obsession with size. Putin may struggle to accept Russia as smaller than the USSR. This fixation on expansion has fueled colonialism throughout history.
Israel and Palestine
Locating Israel was a challenge—it is small on the globe. It borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, with the Mediterranean to the west. Palestine was even harder to find. It exists within Israel’s borders, encompassing the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but looking at the globe, it’s as if Palestine doesn’t exist at all. Unlike digital maps, where one can zoom in, a globe presents only the dominant geopolitical reality.
The erasure of Palestine from maps mirrors its physical erasure. Under occupation, its land is continuously taken, its people struggling for survival. The world often looks away.
Gulf of Mexico or Gulf of America?
The Gulf of Mexico, a vast ocean basin, is bordered by the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba. It supports industries like oil, gas, fishing, and shipping, with major rivers, such as the Mississippi, feeding into it. Its warm waters also make it a breeding ground for hurricanes that shape North American weather patterns.
In January 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”—a symbolic assertion of U.S. dominance. Critics argued the move strained U.S.-Mexico relations and had little international legitimacy. Still, major U.S. tech companies, including Google and Apple, updated their maps for American users while keeping the original name for the rest of the world.
Canada’s Borders
Canada, my home, is the world’s second-largest country at 9.98 million square kilometers. On my globe, its ten provinces are clearly labeled, but only two of its three territories are shown. Nunavut became a territory in 1999, part of the largest Indigenous land claim settlement in Canadian history, granting Inuit greater self-governance. Modern globes now show Nunavut as separate, right next to Greenland.
Canada’s borders have been shaped by conflict and negotiation. The War of 1812 repelled a U.S. invasion. The Alaska Boundary Dispute tested sovereignty. Quebec’s separatist referendums in 1980 and 1995 nearly broke the country apart. While Canada’s borders are now settled, internal divisions over land, identity, and federalism persist.
Trump’s threats of tariffs and suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state have only strengthened Canadian nationalism. Even Indigenous leaders and Quebec separatists, often at odds with federal policies, have united in rejecting foreign interference. If anything, Trump’s bluster has reinforced Canada’s independence.
The Overview Effect
The globe felt good in my hands. My first moments holding it gave me a surreal sense of the Overview Effect, a cognitive shift astronauts experience when viewing Earth from space—awe, heightened awareness of the planet’s fragility, and a deepened connection to humanity. Frank White coined the term in 1987, though earlier accounts exist. Yuri Gagarin described a profound connection to Earth in 1961, and Edgar Mitchell reported an “explosion of awareness” during Apollo 14 in 1971.
Holding a globe in my hands, I also felt something unsettling. If the globe was Earth, who was I, a god in space? Did holding it mean control? Could I spin it like Superman, deciding fate? Some people crave this power. The Overview Effect is often celebrated as positive, but it reflects extreme privilege. Few can access space, making it an exclusive perspective that may create distance rather than connection. This perspective can be dangerous. Colonialists, imperialists, and globalists have often viewed the world as something to be possessed and reshaped.
Conclusion
A globe offers more than a visual aid; it provides perspective. It corrects distortions in our understanding of size and space. It reveals the geopolitical reality of nations at war. It reminds us of the fragility of borders and the forces that shape them. It prompts questions about power, nationalism, and colonialism.