Trump versus Greenland
Having returned to office, President Trump is already looking to expand. His first target? Greenland. Charading as a player on a monopoly board, Trump has made no effort to conceal his interest in the Danish territory.
Colonised by Denmark in 1751, Greenland stands as a self-governing, autonomous territory whose geopolitical ties lie firmly with Europe. The island itself has fostered a distinctive personality amongst its small population of 56,000, with most individuals speaking Greenlandic. Greenlanders enjoy a diverse, cultural blend of North Arctic Inuit values alongside Scandinavian traditions. Despite this, Greenland remains an official territory of Denmark. Whilst the state has had the opportunity to declare itself independent through a referendum since 2009, there has never appeared a strong will to accept this. After all, the need to do so seems null considering Greenland operates via its own government and policies, with Denmark only taking principal control over matters of foreign affairs.
In a recent statement regarding Trump’s interest in purchasing Greenland, the prime minister of the island has declared “We don’t want to be Danish. We don’t want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders, of course”. The prevalent issue with this statement, however, is that Greenland has surprisingly little control over their own fate. Ultimately, this is a decision that lies in the hands of Denmark.
Whilst Denmark has asserted that Greenland is “not for sale”, President Trump does not appear to be taking no for an answer. In retaliation, Trump has declared that he would not rule out military or economic force. This response could be rather concerning for Denmark. Home to companies such as Lego and Novo Nordisk, the creator of Ozempic, the US and Denmark are longstanding partners in trade. Shaken by a rather threatening phone call, Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, has revealed: “It has been suggested from the American side that unfortunately a situation may arise where we work less together than we do today in the economic area”.
Trump’s intent is clear. The logic behind his intent, however, still seems rather cloudy. Why does Trump want Greenland in the first place?
US intervention in the territory is not particularly uncommon. US troops first arrived in Greenland during World War Two to prevent German invasion. Shortly after the war, President Truman swiftly offered to buy Greenland for $100 million in gold. Denmark adamantly refused this offer, instead agreeing that the US military could use Greenland for a base. Currently, the US Pittufik Space Base is located on the territory. Neither Denmark nor Greenland have ever refused the US military their demands on the territory, creating doubts that Trump would be after Greenland for militarily strategic purposes.
Another factor behind Trump’s intention could be Greenland’s possession of natural resources: oil, gas and rare earths. Considering China’s near monopoly on rare earths, Greenland’s access to such resources would indeed make it an enticing purchase for the US. Due to 80% of Greenland having been previously covered by a thick ice sheet, these resources have been unavailable up until now. With climate change resulting in the melting of this ice, the possibility of obtaining these deposits is likely to materialise in the short-term future. Greenland’s current block on mining, for environmental and conservation purposes, may throw a spanner in the works if the US were to advance on these minerals. Therefore, US ownership of the territory could be a sure-fire strategy to ensure first grabs on such sought-after resources.
Even with this motivator in mind, however, it still seems illogical that Trump would want to buy Greenland. Danish and Greenlandic governments have never prevented the US from interfering with Greenland’s territory; in fact, the governments have often bent their rules to accommodate the US’s search for resources. Trump’s desire to annex Greenland once again appears illogical.
Indeed, in both his phone calls to the governments of Denmark and Greenland, Trump struggled to articulate his exact reason for wanting the territory. Consequently, the bizarre speculations have circulated that Trump may simply want Greenland just so the USA can look bigger on the map. If this were the case, Trump’s complete disregard for borders, citizenships and cultures in the pursuit of an egotistical power trip concerningly echoes the incentives of past imperial leaders.
Perhaps even more worrying, the foreign minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, has used Trump’s desire for Greenland as a comparison point for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, Lavrov has even suggested that Greenland stage a referendum, like the false referendum held by Russia in the Crimea and Eastern Ukraine. Considering that the US has so far provided economic backing to Ukraine throughout the war, it is problematic that their integrity and allyship could be questioned by replicating the intentions and actions of Russia.
It is important to remember, however, that Trump’s ambitions remain unlikely to bear fruit. Notorious for making sweeping statements, the reality of Trump purchasing Greenland still feels rather far-fetched, especially considering the reluctance of both Denmark and Greenland to relinquish control over the territory.
Trump’s intentions nevertheless raise serious questions about neocolonialism and current geo-political relations. Will this stir up nationalist feelings within Greenlanders to push for a referendum? Will Denmark and the US continue their amicable NATO and trading relationship? And how far will Russia push the narrative of US similarity to justify their cause?
Image: Flickr/Trump White House (Shealah Craighead)
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