Greenland: not Trumpian, and only partially Danish

        Greenland is the world's largest island. This northern atlantic island is known as Kalaallit Nunaat to Indigenous Greenlanders, meaning 'land of the Kalaallit'. The Kalaallit are the largest group of the variety of Inuit peoples of Greenland, making up 89% of the Island's population of 57,695. Some may know them as Eskimos partially due to being within the arctic circle. Ethnographically close to other Inuit peoples of the arctic and subarctic regions of Canada, Alaska, and far-eastern Siberia in Russia in which they are a minority, the vast tundra and immense glaciers of Greenland has long been and remains the only nation in which aboriginal culture is paramount. 

Folk/ indie singer-songwriter Nive Nielsen: case in point of Greenland's cultural landscape.

Wilderness, sub-wilderness, Danish territory and county

       Once upon a time, Greenland was empty and deserted. The first people arrived approximately 5,000 years ago, via the nearby Canadian island of Ellesmere. Over many centuries, different groups settled there, with long periods of Greenland being uninhabited. The Norse came and disappeared, then Scandinavians, specifically the Danes, resettled strongly in 1721, attempting to christianize the Inuit. This was in the middle of the period when Denmark and Norway were a unified entity, lasting until they separated in 1814. This was formalized in 1814, with the Treaty of Kiel formalizing Greenland as a Danish territory - directly controlled by the Danish state. 

       This continued until 1953 when a revision of the Danish Constitution incorporated Greenland into Denmark, so that it was given the formal title of the County of Greenland. A form of increased autonomy was discussed by a committee which recommended home rule in 1975. This led to the proposal for the Home Rule Act in 1978. In the new year, a consultative referendum on home rule resulted in 70% voting for greater autonomy from Denmark. This established Greenland's own parliament, able to decide policies about education, health, fisheries, the environment, and their own legal system. Officially in May 1979, Greenland became an autonomous constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. 

American shopping list item

        Interaction with the US has occasionally stretched the meaning of that term. During the war, the Danish ambassador to the US, Henrik Kauffmann, signed an agreement to hand over defense and control of Greenland. Having stationed troops and built 2 airports with full-length runways which remained in use for decades after signature in 1941, with Greenland going on to become an associate member of NATO. Denmark and the US signed the Greenland Defense Agreement in 1951, formalizing American bases in Greenland. Thereby, unofficial sovereignty was surreptitiously transferred to the US. Cold War operations conducted from Greenland were not without operational hiccups, some larger than others.  

        On 21 January 1968, a B-52 bomber had a cabin fire which forced its crew to eject from it. It crashed onto sea ice in North Star Bay (far northern Greenland), leading to the detonation of several conventional explosives. The four B28 thermonuclear bombs ruptured and leaked, radioactively contaminating the area. This bomber had been taking part in operation "Chrome Dome", in which a nuclear-armed B52 was continuously airborne just in case it were needed for a counter-strike. Greenland having been an unwitting case study on Cold War operations led to procedures being revised and nuclear weapons technology being redeveloped. 

          It was first during the 70s when the subject of buying Greenland was broached, suggested by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller for mining. It was later taken further in 1990 by White House Communications Director Patrick Buchanan's suggestion that American expansion to include Greenland was "not a wild dream" and that it would only require "patience."

         In the new millennium, along came the (former?) real-estate tycoon. During the first presidency of "The Donald", Ron Lauder (businessman and activist) suggested that the US purchase Greenland so that it could function as a back channel to the Danish government. President Trump has occasionally reverted to his alter-ego such as telling New York Times journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser that he thought it would be a great real-estate deal that would secure his place in history. Furthermore, the Danish subsidy that Greenland has long relied on could be replaced by a more sizeable one from the United States with some ease, given how it is less than the annual budget of a large American city. 

         Once such discussions had become known in 2019, there was a swift rebuke from the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen: "This is an absurd discussion. Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland is Greenlandic." While this may have resonated with Greenlanders themselves, Trump canceled a planned state visit of the United States to Denmark because of her remarks acted as a form of real-estate cockblocking. The nature of the motivation for the 78-year-old toddler is more than just business deals. It would also make or even solidify Greenland as part of an exclusive American strategic zone. As Nils Wang, former head of the Royal Danish Navy once said, "Trump's approach may be wacky but it does send a serious message to Russia and China - don't mess with us on Greenland. This is a complete game-changer." 

          However, economics still predominate over other considerations when it comes to choosing an ally or a metaphoric underwriter. Will Trump make an offer to buy Greenland that is too good to refuse? Would it contain significantly higher subsidies than Denmark provides? Even Trump's combined successor and predecessor Joe Biden took advantage of a moment when he wasn't asleep to encourage western mining investment in Greenland, thereby staving off an attempt by Chinese developers to buy a rare earth development project. 

        Greenland will also discuss its relationship with Trump Act II. United States "ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity," he posted on Truth Social. This has received a frosty response from both the Greenlandic premier and the Danish prime minister, enabled by the recent visit by Donald Trump Jr (juvenile). After getting out of the gaudy TRUMP plane, according to the Danish public broadcaster, DR, Trump's team encouraged homeless and socially disadvantaged locals to appear in a video wearing MAGA hats after being offered a free meal in a nice restaurant.

        This makes one wonder what the price would be in the (highly) unlikely event of a sale. Estimates vary, with the Washington Post esteeming it to be from $200 million to $1.7 trillion. According to a sum of the parts analysis in the Financial Times, rare-earth minerals are worth $500 to $700 billion, potential oil fields are $300 to $400 billion, and real estate is $200 to $220 billion. The island's mineral wealth is most important to them because of their Pituffik Space Base - anti-missile early warning/defense and space surveillance. Therefore, this combination means that many economists perceive that buying Greenland would be "the deal of the century". 

Him, them, or?

          Before, during, and after Trump's skullduggery, there have also been incremental stages towards full independence. There was a self-government referendum in 2008, with 75% voting in favour of a higher degree of autonomy. Since then, Greenland has controlled its own law enforcement, coast guard, even foreign relations in addition to the official language becoming Greenlandic - replacing Danish. Under the resulting self-rule law of 2009, Greenland can declare full independence which would have to be approved by both a referendum on the island and the Danish parliament. 

          Opinion polls have varied between majorities favouring full independence and opposing it through anxiety of a falling standard of living, which could happen if Greenland lost its substantial annual block grant from Denmark. The block grant is the equivalent of 2/3 of Greenland's government budget and 1/4 of its entire GDP. The previous prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said in 2018 that Greenland would need to clarify if it were going to stay within the Kingdom or become independent. If the latter took place, there would no longer be an annual block grant. This fortified the popular perception that economic stability is the basis for full independence from Denmark. 

            In February last year, 303 years since the beginning of Danish colonial rule, there was an official declaration of the intention for independence. At a recent press conference alongside Denmark's prime minister, according to Múte B. Egede, Greenland's prime minister, there has been preparation to create an independent state. That could be on April 6th or shortly thereafter if an independence referendum is held concurrently with the general election. If he is still prime minister with the same or an increased majority thereafter, popular consensus would confirm what he said at that press conference: “Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American. We want to be Greenlandic.”

Economic matrix

           Greenland has many facets to its economy, despite its low population and frigid climate. Around 43% of Greenlanders work for the government. The second largest sector in terms of staffing is the fishing industry, with cod, cold-water shrimp and halibut caught from over 5,000 dinghies, cutters and trawlers. The tradition of whaling and seal hunting is still ongoing, despite controversy having shrunk the market for their products. When not at sea, only 1% of Greenland is considered arable. Sheep farming and reindeer herding are mainly in the south, also limited by the weather. Tourism is sparse due to Greenland's remote location, however there is some potential in sustainable tourism. 

           There is genuine potential in Greenland's natural resources, especially mining the wide variety of metals and some rare earths. There are significant untapped resources, with a substantial volume of minerals locatable by modern geological land mapping technology partly due to a consequence of climate change which has caused Greenland's ice sheet to retreat. As oil resources are all offshore, they remain in Denmark's exclusive economic zone. Much of the prospecting of what could be one of the world's largest remaining oil resources is by Nunaoil, a Greenland-Denmark partnership. Other companies are there too, as much of the promising geological leads are where there is little sea ice.

         Furthermore, in terms of water, 70% of Greenland's electricity production comes from renewable energy, mostly from hydropower. This is one of the highest shares of renewable energy worldwide. Construction of the Buksefjord dam in 1993 and the world's longest span of an electrical power line at Ameralik are the primary components of the long-term aim/policy of the Greenland government to produce the island's electricity from renewable domestic sources. Extra turbines at Buksefjord as well as 2 additional dams have brought this closer to reality. 

Normalizing the land of the midnight sun 

          Whereas the rest of the world knew absolutely nothing about Greenland for millennia, knowledge of the past and present is still sparse. Indeed, my research revealed that there is more to the land of the midnight sun (no sunset in central Greenland in June and July) than it just being very cold and remote. 

Inuit Greenlanders in 1903

         What is the extent of Greenland's predicament about its future? How should they develop closer ties with the United States while ignoring the Trump's global real-estate blather? Should it become fully independent? If so, how should Greenland develop its economy without Denmark's block grant?

       Many Greenlanders still believe that full independence wouldn't be viable without Danish subsidies. However, many independence advocators believe that post-independence cooperation should continue, although it would be voluntary. Greater cooperation with the US is perceived positively, as it would be impractical not to develop further (economic) ties with the world's largest economy. Furthermore, greater cooperation with Greenland's closest neighbour would also be beneficial, only partially because of Inuit also being native to Nunavut province in Canada.  

         With the majority of Greenland's population on the southwest coast, there is the potential for economic self-sufficiency. Mineral deposits and processing of them enabled by hydropower could even mean that no longer having the Danish block grant would not entail Greenland being overdrawn and  having a deficit. As long as such initiatives become reality, there would be the economic stability forming the basis for full independence from Denmark to be replaced with cooperation and international relations with other nations, even including The Donald.