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Second lady Usha Vance's visit to Greenland this week has been met with anger and confusion by Greenlands citizens. What started out as a celebratory event to appreciate Greenlandic culture has quickly delved into a nationwide protest against recent comments from President Trump, claiming "'the U.S. will gain control of Greenland one way or another'" (Rasmussen, 25). Vice President JD Vance announced this week that he too will be attending the trip, and has shifted the focus of the visit from cultural appreciation to a matter of national security.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have claimed they "see the uninvited trip as a provocation" (Rasmussen, 25), and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted that Vance's inclusion of national security adviser Micheal Waltz was a "'highly aggressive move'" (Rasmussen, 25). Greenlandic politicians claim the trip meddles with their national affairs, highlighting their current negotiation of a new government following the success of an anti-imperialistic party winning the election held this month.
Not all of Greenland is against this trip however, local resident Jørgen Boassen, an outspoken Trump supporter, welcomes Vance and his wife, pointing out that "he helped plan the visit" (Rasmussen, 25). In January, Boassen visited Washington for Trumps inauguration and has become a prominent member of Greenlands pro-independence party, Naleraq. His political activity doesn't stop there, he currently works for an organization called American Daybreak which "was founded by former Trump official Thomas Dans and promotes closer ties between the U.S. and Greenland" (Kirka, 25).
U.S. officials have also expressed interest in Greenland's wealth below ground, hoping to exploit earthly metals if given the chance. This is not the first nation Trump has attempted to intervene in, as reported from the Associated Press: "in January, he has pressured Ukraine into giving the U.S. access to valuable mineral resources, threatened to reclaim the Panama Canal and suggested that Canada should become the 51st state" (Kirka, 25). Nevertheless, Greenland's mineral rich geography is a strong source of Trumps interest. According to a 2023 survey: "25 of 34 minerals deemed "critical raw materials" by the European Commission were found in Greenland" (Reuters, 25). Extraction of petroleum oil and gas is banned in Greenland for environmental protection, and it's mining sector comes under constant attack from local indigenous groups who value the preservation of Greenlands natural beauty.
Ultimately, Trump's attempts to secure Greenland under American control will not be met without a fight. In the words of senior researcher Ulrik Pram Gad, at the Danish Institute for International Studies: "'Greenland has for the past 40 years moved towards self-determination ... All the influence over it's foreign policy and minerals, which it has wrangled from Copenhagen, is not something they want to just hand over to Washington" (Rasmussen, 25).
Sources:
- https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/greenlands-rich-largely-untapped-mineral-resources-2025-01-13/
- https://www.wsj.com/world/greenlanders-are-angry-and-confused-over-unwanted-u-s-visit-87e701c2
- https://apnews.com/article/greenland-future-trump-arctic-independence-denmark-minerals-4711a83c4490de99638db32029b668c9
4 comments:
Vance's visit to Greenland has been overshadowed by political tension, this has creating a widespread oppression Something that was originally a culture appreciation trip has turned into National Security move, in my opinion this is Raising concerns about the US especially given Greenland's Rich resources and benefits. with JD Vance as National Security advisor this only adds more tension
Maybe Trump will do a military takeover if he somehow blames Russia for it. More likely however is that the US will try to sanction/persuade/tarriff/whatever EU to try to get Denmark and Greenland to slowly start engaging in diplomatic/trade means with the US with the ultimate goal of usurping it.
More concerning is the fact that US officials, instead of recognizing Greenland for being Greenland and being gracious in acceptance really see it as just a natural mineral farm (like Alberta arguably). As a result, there's obviously going to be push back; this situation is no different than a large corporation trying to buy up a small store without equal compensation not because they want to help grow that small store but rather for vertical integration.
I find it unsettling that ever since Trump has been in office, diplomatic relationships between the U.S. and neighboring countries have been significantly strained. This whole situation with Greenland just feels unnecessary -- why send officials on an uninvited trip that clearly upsets both Greenland and Danish leaders? While Denmark (a NATO ally) has generally cooperated with the U.S. on matters concerning Greenland, the only or most significant times when there has been great tension have both concerned President Trump. I found that in 2019 Trump had proposed to buy Greenland which was immediately rejected by Denmark and Greenland, and Greenland isn't the only territory where Trump has tried to push U.S. influence where it’s not wanted either. Just earlier this year, his suggestion to make Canada the 51st state enraged Canadians, a long time U.S. ally. Moves and comments like these not only hurt relationships with other countries but also put the trust and cooperation that have always been key to global cooperation at risk.
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