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A child plays in front of an apartment complex in Sisimiut, north of the Greenlandic capital Nuuk, in July.
1 / 3 Photo: Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix Via AP/TT
Donald Trump junior has visited Greenland. Before the trip, his father promised to “make Greenland great again” – a variation on the slogan about making America great again.
But why is the future president so obsessed with the Danish territory?
“Greenland is an incredible place and the people will benefit enormously if, and when, they become part of our country,” President-elect Donald Trump wrote on social media ahead of his son’s trip, which, according to the father, took place together with “various representatives.”
For the United States, Greenland has great value – not least in terms of the island’s natural resources of oil, gas and minerals. Earth metals on the island, such as neodymium and dysprosium, are mined according to The Washington Post today mainly by the US’s antagonists China and Russia. And Greenland’s location has long been considered strategic for the United States, which established a military base for robotic defense and space surveillance on the island early in the Cold War.
Trump has had his eyes on Greenland since his last term. Just before Christmas, he claimed that it is “an absolute necessity” for the US to take over the island, citing “national security and freedom around the world”.
An agreement is required
Both Danish and Greenlandic leaders have consistently emphasized that Greenland is not for sale.
“I don’t want to be a pawn in Trump’s wet dreams of expanding his empire to include our country,” writes one of Greenland’s representatives in the Danish parliament, Aaja Chemnitz, on Facebook.
Regardless of the reasons behind Trump the younger’s visit, it comes at a crucial time: in the middle of the Greenlandic election campaign. By April 6 at the latest, the Greenlanders will go to the polls in a vote which, according to Danish media, is said to be mainly about a future separation from Denmark.
– Therefore, Greenlandic politicians are now competing for the best plan for independence, says Ulrik Pram Gad, researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, to the Ritzau news agency.
Musk blends in
Greenland is estimated to have some of the world’s largest untapped reserves of oil and fossil gas, although the Greenlandic government has banned all future extraction of these. Deep under the ice cover hides another untouched treasure chest: gold, copper, precious stones and uranium.
But despite the resources, the island is still dependent on Danish contributions and cooperation with Denmark’s healthcare and legal systems. For sustainable independence, some form of cooperation agreement with a larger partner is required.
– If you only declare yourself independent, three or four billion kroner a year and a place to send cancer patients are missing, says Ulrik Pram Gad.
Not only Donald Trump wants a hand in the game about Greenland. In recent years, Russia and China have also shown increasing interest in the island.
“The people of Greenland should decide their future and I think they want to be part of the United States,” wrote Trump’s gun bearer Elon Musk on X on Monday.
FACT Greenland
Greenland is classified as the world’s largest island with an area five times the size of Sweden. About 80 percent is covered in ice, in places over three kilometers thick.
About 57,000 inhabitants live on the island and the largest city is Nuuk (formerly Godthåb in Danish). Greenlandic is the official language, but Danish plays a large role in public activities. Shrimp fishing is the most important industry.
In the 1720s, the island became a Danish colony at the initiative of the missionary Hans Egede. In 1953, Greenland became a Danish county with equal rights. In 1979, the island then received limited but relatively large self-government, with its own legislative assembly and government (the county council and the county board).
The question of whether Greenland should become independent has often been topical. A series of opinion polls in recent years have shown that a large majority of the inhabitants want the island to break free from Denmark, but the opportunities to manage on their own are still considered to be limited.
While Denmark supports Greenland economically, the US has a great opportunity to use the island for military purposes, including at the Pituffik (formerly Thule) air base in the north and with radar stations that monitor the airspace in the Arctic.
Source: Landguiden/UI
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