„We have to have it…“, American President Donald Tump said on Monday, as if it were a Christmas present. His wish list again included Greenland, which he wants to annex not so much because of the minerals present there, but for the sake of national security. To get his way, Trump appointed a special envoy just before Christmas, Jeff Landry, the current governor of Louisiana. The United States has often laid claim to Greenland, but the delegation of a special envoy is new. Landry said he was honored to participate. working on the plan to “make Greenland part of the United States.”
In his response to social media Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen repeated Trump’s moves: “We have woken up again with a new announcement from the American president, who has appointed a special envoy for Greenland. That may sound like a big step, but it does not change anything for us at home. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders, its territorial integrity must be respected.”
Trump previously received negative responses to his claims from both Greenland and Europe. For example, Trump’s son was received with little respect in the capital Nuuk at the beginning of this year. Vice President JD Vance got a cold shower this spring and limited his visit to the US military base in Northern Greenland. The ‘holiday trip’ with his wife and children was canceled because they were not welcome at the national dog sled race. The American visit that did come to Greenland was welcomed with MAGA caps that read: “Make America Go Away.”
Also read
The myth of the Dane as a ‘good colonizer’ of Greenland is increasingly showing cracks
Tone-deaf
Trump nor Landry doesn’t care about being unwelcome. A special envoy does not have to be approved by the country where he or she will end up. Republican Landry — who op social media earlier this year shouted: “GREAT for them, GREAT for us! Let’s get it done!” — so you can just get started. The renewed claim not only proves that Trump has been tone-deaf to the sounds from Greenland and Europe itself, but also fits within Trump’s security strategy: everything in the Western Hemisphere belongs to America. The way in which Venezuela is attacked must show that he is serious when he has set his sights on an area.
Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated in one joint statement that they ‘expect respect for our common territorial integrity’. And: “We have said it clearly before, now we say it again: land borders and the sovereignty of states are rooted in international law. These are fundamental principles. You cannot annex other countries, not even with an argument about international security.”
We must prepare to continue fighting to preserve self-determination
Yet it is also clear that the plan will not simply blow over. “It is a sign of disrespect for Greenland and the Greenlandic people,” Aaja Chemnitz responded to the Greenland radio station Kalaallit Nunaata. The member of parliament representing the ruling party Inuit Ataqatigiit, a left-wing party that defends the interests of the Inuit, added: “It shows that this will remain a problem as long as Trump is in the White House. We must prepare to continue fighting for the preservation of self-determination, which we have been fighting for for decades and which is extremely important to us.”
Chemnitz also wants the Danish government, which showed more interest in Greenland in the past year, to take more initiatives in the field of safety. Greenland has an autonomous status within the Danish empire, but Denmark still controls the security and foreign policy of the largest island in the world.
The European Union already strengthened ties with Greenland this year and concluded several deals on raw materials. Except Norway and Sweden stated Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also expressed full solidarity with Denmark on behalf of the EU. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys wants to work with Northern European countries “to strengthen security in the Arctic region.”
The journalistic principles of NRC