Greenland - a geopolitical space on the global chess board?

thorbiorn

The Living Force
FOTCM Member
Introduction
Greenland is a sparsely populated Arctic island on the North American continent. It is, at the time of posting still within the Danish Realm, and has been given increasing autonomy over the years, to the extent that although Denmark is a part of the EU, Greenland is not. For how long will this state of affairs continue? Is Greenland on the way to independence, a different kind of dependence, or interdependence in a multipolar world?

The Danish Realm consists of Greenland east of northern Canada, the Faroe Island, located between Iceland and Scotland, and Denmark, located in Southern Scandinavia, between Sweden and Germany; see the image below taken from the Wiki on Greenland.

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If one takes a look at the map, one may notice two smaller but still large island areas east of Greenland: Iceland to the southeast, and Svalbard, a part of Norway, to the northeast. What their future will be after a possible US takeover of Greenland is different discussion.

Greenland has in recent years, at least since Donald Trump during his first term aired the idea of buying the island, become a focal point. Plans are underway to incorporate the area into the US. However it might be more of an extension of power than something entirely new. Already, the US has defacto occupied the area, pretty much since WWII, when the airports of Southern Greenland were used to fly in support for the war efforts in Europe.

One reason for the US to want more than military presence, on Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, is that in the struggle with other powers it wants even more presence without the need to go through bureaucratic Europeans. Besides, Greenland has some valuable resources, the exploitation of which have largely remained unexplored, partly because it is very expensive to develop them, partly because there are environmental concerns for the delicate fauna and flora. From a Danish and Greenlandic perspective, the environment has been protected because some of the local Inuit living in isolated and rather remote villages rely on the presence of fish, seals, reindeer, a few hundred hvales, and a small number of polar bears, hunted both for safety, as when they come to a village and won't go away, but also because it is a tradition to make warm pants from their fur. There has also been international pressure with lobby groups in the background, that have argued for the protection of the disappearing ice sheet, and polar bears, not that neither are really disappearing, but both the ice sheet and the bears are useful rallying points for people to get worked up about.

Previously, many posts about the politics surrounding Greenland, ended up in this thread Scandinavian observations and perspectives. Here is a search link, so unless some of the posts are moved, that is where you can find earlier discussions.

On SOTT, there are many articles across several categories to dive into:
In title: 156 articles
In summary 484 articles
In text: 964 articles
In summary and text: 247 articles
In title, summary and text: 109 articles

It is possible some of the comments from a few of the more recent will be moved over here. We will see.
 
As mentioned in the Trump thread, it looks like there is a good chance Greenland will become a part of the US:

"Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has rejected the possibility of selling the island to the US, but said on Friday that “we are ready to talk” with Trump."

 
For the record, some recent headlines from RT, Aljazeera, and the Danish media Jyllands-Posten and Berlingske Here and there, I have included more than the headlines to give a better impression of what the background and situation is. As I conclude at the end, it is becoming a roller coaster.

23 Jan, 2025 03:42, RT
Danish politician tells Trump to ‘f**k off’ (VIDEO)
Anders Vistisen has rejected the US president’s proposal to buy Greenland
The next is more spicy, so it comes in full:
25 Jan, 2025 07:57, RT
Danes ‘freaked out’ over Trump’s Greenland pressure – FT
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had a “horrendous” conversation with the US president about acquiring the island, officials have told the paper

US President Donald Trump aggressively pushed the idea of taking over Greenland in a tense phone call with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources. The conversation has reportedly triggered panic in Copenhagen.

Trump held a 45-minute conversation with Frederiksen last week prior to his inauguration, unnamed European officials told the paper, acknowledging that it “had gone very badly.”

They described Trump’s tone during the call as confrontational and “very firm” after Frederiksen reportedly reiterated Denmark’s stance that the island is not for sale, but that it is open to discussing expanded military cooperation.

“It was horrendous,” an FT source said, with another calling the conversation “a cold shower,” adding that “before, it was hard to take it seriously. But I do think it is serious, and potentially very dangerous.”
https://www.rt.com/news/611064-greenland-pm-trump-acquisition-proposal/
One official told FT that the Danish side was left “utterly freaked out” by the exchange, which reportedly included threats of targeted tariffs against Denmark. According to the report, European officials had previously assumed Trump’s statements about acquiring Greenland were merely a negotiating tactic to assert more influence in the Arctic and check Russia and China, but the call with Frederiksen had dashed those hopes.

Greenland is home to about 60,000 people, mostly indigenous, as well as a significant US military base. It is an autonomous region within Denmark that has been self-governing since 1979. The territory is of high strategic importance to NATO due to its crucial location in the Arctic, which allows for control of nearby shipping lanes.

Trump floated the idea of buying Greenland in 2019 during his first term, but the initiative went nowhere, with both Denmark and the island’s government rejecting it. However, he has since revived the idea, citing Greenland’s importance for US national security.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede has said that while the island is open to cooperation with Washington, “we don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be a part of the US.”
25 Jan, 2025 19:21, RT
EU military chief wants troops in Greenland
Brussels has “interests” on the island just like Washington, Gen. Robert Brieger has said, pointing to tensions with Russia and China
26 Jan, 2025 03:47, RT
America could soon become ‘a bigger country’ – Trump
The president has said the territory of the US could increase in the near future

The US could acquire new territories in the near future, President Donald Trump has told a crowd of supporters.

In recent weeks, Trump has expressed ambitions to expand US territory and showed interest in annexing Greenland, Canada, and the Panama Canal.

“We might be an enlarged country pretty soon,” Trump said in a speech in Las Vegas on Saturday.

“For years, for decades, we were the same size to the square foot… probably got smaller, actually,” he said, adding that this could change “soon.”
27 Jan, 2025 10:14, RT
Trump ridicules Denmark’s military
Copenhagen has announced plans to boost its military presence on the island, while reminding Washington “how good an ally” the country is

Denmark is not capable of adequately protecting its strategically important territory of Greenland, US President Donald Trump has claimed. Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Saturday, Trump appeared to ridicule the Danish plan to increase its military presence on the Arctic island.

Trump first floated the idea of purchasing Greenland during his first term in office, and revived the idea following his victory in the presidential election on November 5. The US president has spoken of Greenland’s significance for US national security, refusing to rule out the use of military force to obtain it.

Denmark has firmly rejected any suggestion that Greenland could be sold.

Trump stated: “I do believe Greenland, we’ll get – because it really has to do with freedom of the world. It has nothing to do with the United States, other than we’re the one that can provide the freedom. [Denmark] can’t. They put two dog sleds there two weeks ago, they thought that was protection,” he said, as quoted by the Financial Times.

Trump was apparently referring to an announcement by Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen earlier this month. He said Copenhagen was planning to add two inspection vessels, two drones, and two dog sled patrols to its current force of 75 personnel, four ships, and a surveillance plane.

“I don’t really know what claim Denmark has to it, but it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen,” Trump said over the weekend. He also claimed that the “people [of Greenland] want to be with us.”

Speaking to local broadcaster TV2 on Sunday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized “how good an ally Denmark has been” to the US. The Nordic country is a NATO member state that participated in US-led military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Frederiksen also reiterated that Greenland was not for sale, and its population has an exclusive right to determine its future.

According to a Financial Times report on Friday, citing several anonymous European officials, the US president and the Danish prime minister had a “horrendous” phone conversation earlier this month. Trump was reportedly “very firm” about his intention to purchase Greenland, threatening Denmark with tariffs if it continues to resist his bid.

The confrontational tone of the phone call is said to have “freaked out” officials in Copenhagen, making them realize that Trump’s intentions were “serious.”
28 Jan 2025, Aljazeera
Danish PM says received European backing against Trump’s Greenland push
Mette Frederiksen says ‘no reason to believe that there is a military threat to Greenland or Denmark’.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says the country has received substantial support from fellow European nations as she seeks support to counter United States President Donald Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland.

Trump has said the Arctic island – an autonomous Danish territory – is vital to US national security and refused to rule out using military force to acquire the territory.

Frederiksen visited three European capitals on Tuesday, meeting French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

“I have no reason to believe that there is a military threat to Greenland or Denmark,” Frederiksen told Danish media before a meeting with Rutte in Brussels on Tuesday.

Speaking alongside Macron in Paris earlier, the Danish prime minister told reporters that she had received “a great deal of support” from Europe.

Chancellor Scholz, who met with Frederiksen as well, emphasised that “borders must not be moved by force”. He also said that “the times we live in are challenging” and stressed the need for a strong Europe and NATO.

The Danish prime minister praised the consensus, stating, “This is a very, very clear message … that, of course, there must be respect for territory and the sovereignty of states.”

The meetings come on the heels of a Nordic summit over the weekend, where all leaders shared concerns about the situation, according to Frederiksen.
28 Jan, 2025 15:06, RT
EU and NATO told to keep silent on Greenland – FT
Denmark has requested that confrontational reactions to US President Trump’s aggressive overtures be avoided, according to the newspaper

Denmark has asked NATO and the European Union not to comment on the US President Donald Trump's recent threats regarding Greenland, the Financial Times has claimed, citing several anonymous officials. Copenhagen reportedly hopes that by refusing to openly confront the new US president it can appease him.
29 Jan, 2025 03:52, RT
Lawmaker suggests Greenland join Russia
Greenlanders share a common language with some of Siberia’s indigenous peoples, Russian MP Vitaly Milonov has argued
29 Jan, 2025 12:22, RT
France could deploy troops to Greenland – FM
Jean-Noel Barrot’s remarks come amid tensions between Denmark and the US, with President Trump demanding the island be ceded to Washington

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has said his country would be willing to deploy troops to Greenland, amid a spat between Denmark and the US over the Arctic island.

US President Donald Trump first floated the idea of purchasing the territory during his first term in office, and revived the idea following his return to power earlier this year. He has cited Greenland’s significance for US national security, refusing to rule out the use of military force to obtain the island, the world’s largest.

Denmark, which controls the autonomous territory, has insisted that Greenland is not for sale.

In an interview with France’s Sud Radio on Tuesday, Barrot revealed that Paris had “started discussing [troop deployment] with Denmark,” noting, however, that Copenhagen had no desire for such a mission at present.

“If Denmark calls for help, France will be there,” the diplomat vowed, insisting that the “European borders are sovereign whether it’s north, south, east and west [and]... nobody can allow themselves to mess around with our borders.”

According to the minister, during an EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday his counterparts from other member states also pledged their backing for Denmark, signaling similar readiness to consider troop deployments.

Barrot expressed confidence that a forcible takeover of Greenland by the US “won’t happen [as] people don’t invade EU territories.”

Over the weekend, the chairman of the EU Military Committee (EUMC), General Robert Brieger, said that “it would make perfect sense not only to station US forces in Greenland, as has been the case to date, but also to consider stationing EU soldiers there in the future.” Washington has had a military base on the island since the early 1940s.

In an interview with Die Welt, the former Austrian chief of staff argued that such a deployment would “send a strong signal and could contribute to stability in the region.” He cited potential “tension with Russia and possibly China” in the area, especially given the melting of the polar ice caps due to climate change. The general described the area as one of “great importance from a geopolitical point of view.”

Additionally, Brieger pointed out that while the territory does not legally constitute part of the EU, the bloc has interests in Greenland, in light of rich deposits of raw materials on the island and its proximity to international trade routes.

Commenting on US claims on the island, Brieger said he expected Washington to respect the territorial integrity of other nations and the UN Charter.

In the relation between Greenland and Denmark
28 Jan, 2025 20:19, RT
Denmark addresses discrimination against Greenlanders
Copenhagen’s plan comes after US President Donald Trump suggested purchasing the territory
Trump is enthusiastic, but it seems the support in Greenland is not that high yet, but 6 % is still enough for a revolution.
29 Jan, 2025 12:23, RT
Only 6% of Greenlanders want to join US – Danish poll
45% of survey respondents reportedly also claimed that they see President Donald Trump’s interest in the island as a threat
But that is not all, the survey also indicates, many Greenlandic citizens want Greenland to be more independent, including deciding more on the foreign policy, but still have the well fare bills supported from Denmark. Of course an excuse from Denmark for the IUD scandal in the 1960ies is also on the list. At least that was the impression from Danish headlines.

30. JAN. 2025 KL. 11:43, Jyllands-Posten
Greenlandic politician attended a party for hundreds of thousands of kroner on a trip to the United States
Kuno Fencker has been accused of damaging the country for his trip to the United States, which was against the party line.

Member of the Greenlandic party Inatsisartut Kuno Fencker went on a spontaneous solo trip to the United States on his own initiative in connection with the inauguration of Donald Trump as president.

In doing so, he went against the party line and has since been accused of activities harmful to the country.

Now it turns out that the Greenlandic politician from the party Siumut received tickets to political events for tens of thousands of Euro, writes Frihedsbrevet.
Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 05.01 a.m. UTC Berlingske
Moving boxes are stuffed with key documents about the spiral case. But scientists may not see them
Independent study of the so -called spiral case can be crucial to the relationship between Greenland and Denmark. But now the researchers are lifting some of the blur for what it is for information that they cannot access at three hospitals in Greenland.

In the basements and archive rooms of three hospitals in Greenland, boxes and moving boxes are filled with patient records and other material with key information in the so-called spiral case [IUD-case].

Researchers have even been down and taken photos of the boxes, where they expect to be able to find valuable information about the treatment of the women in one of the most inflammatory cases in the relationship between Greenland and Denmark.

Still, it is doubtful whether they will be allowed to look in the boxes and whether the information will even come out.
The debacle over Greenland appears to be turning into something of a roller coaster. For an idea of how much up, down, fast, thrilling, and head spinning one of these can be, see 10 Types Of Roller Coasters (Differences, Videos)
 
Trump is probably using his business methods in diplomacy, charging in with outrageous demands, annexing Greenland, before settling on his real demand, which could be more military bases, and/or greater access to Greenland's mineral wealth. What his bluster will accomplish really doesn't matter, it's all a play on the big stage, to draw our attention from something much more important.

As for Iceland, USA doesn't need to change their approach, we've been thoroughly Americanized since WWII, and willing participants in whatever wars or other madness the U.S. come up with, for the last 30 years. Now the new government wants to instate the Holocaust Remembrance(?) day in Iceland, and the new PM, a young woman, has just had talks with the rabbi in Iceland, one of two Jews in Iceland, his wife being the other one. We are just itching to prove our allegiance to the Israel-America project: kill the Gazans, eject all Palestinians and establish Greater Israel, in praxis at least, while destroying the West.
 
I'm slowly starting to realize the difference between Biden and Trump. One dyies before getting even started while the other one will likely
suffocate by grey gas while making America greyt again, pffft, I meant great again.

 
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