Trump's Talk of Buying Greenland Energizes
.jpg "Trump's Talk of Buying Greenland Energizes")
A recent visit to Nuuk, Greenland's capital, by Donald Trump Jr. on "Trump Force One" has brought excitement and new energy to the island's independence movement. Jørgen Boassen, a well-known Trump supporter in Greenland, was at the airport, wearing a MAGA hat in support, not of an offer from President-elect Donald Trump to buy the island, but of his country's autonomy.
"We can't be sold," Boassen says, underscoring his commitment to furthering Greenland's drive for independence, not entertaining outside offers. The feeling is strong in Greenland-a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark-where recent elections and polls have reflected increased local interest in full independence.
The way to independence is not easy, it is blocked by a number of obstacles, and above all, by the financial consequences. Presently, Denmark provides quite substantial support, around $600 million annually, half of Greenland's budget—something extremely important that makes Greenland very concerned about its economic sustainability in case of independence.
The unconventional approach from Trump, with his suggestions of a trade war with Denmark, has suddenly changed the political landscape. According to Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, Trump's rhetoric has affected Denmark's position: "The Danish government may now be more willing to negotiate terms that include continued financial support for Greenland during its transition to independence.".
"My prognosis is that the Danish government will accept it in the next few years," Gad predicts, possibly providing a breakthrough in the Greenlandic-Danish negotiations. The result of such an agreement could be that Greenland goes its own way, both diplomatically and economically, in new partnerships other than with the U.S. and Denmark.
However fanciful the reception locally and, indeed, very resistant, that proposal by Trump perhaps made a very casual reopening of arguments about Greenland's sovereign future. Difficult challenges in the path towards independence notwithstanding, with changing politics and evolving negotiation prospects, Greenland appears closer to aspirations for self-governance.