For greater than 150 years, U.S. officers have been making an attempt, as President Trump places it, to “get” Greenland.
The thought got here up within the 1860s, then once more earlier than and after the world wars. In a means, the timing couldn’t be higher than now, with Greenlanders re-examining their painful colonial historical past underneath Denmark and plenty of itching to break off from Denmark, which nonetheless controls a number of the island’s affairs.
However President Trump appears to have overplayed his playing cards — huge time.
His choice, introduced this weekend, to ship a high-powered U.S. delegation to the island, apparently uninvited, is already backfiring. The administration tried to current it as a pleasant journey, saying that Usha Vance, the spouse of Vice President JD Vance, would attend a dogsled race this week with one in all their sons and that Michael Waltz, the nationwide safety adviser, would tour an American army base.
However as an alternative of profitable the hearts and minds of Greenland’s 56,000 folks, the transfer, coupled with Mr. Trump’s latest assertion that “come what may, we’re going to get it,” is pushing Greenland additional away.
Over the previous 24 hours, the Greenlandic authorities has dropped its posture of being shy and obscure within the face of Mr. Trump’s pushiness. As an alternative, it blasted him as “aggressive” and requested Europe for backup. And the deliberate go to might solely strengthen the bonds between Greenland — an ice-covered land 3 times the dimensions of Texas — and Denmark.
“This may clearly have the other impact of what the People need,” mentioned Lars Trier Mogensen, a political analyst primarily based in Copenhagen. “This offensive pushes Greenland additional away from the U.S., although a yr in the past, all events in Greenland have been trying ahead to extra enterprise with the People.”
His prediction? Greenlanders, he mentioned, will “search security in the established order — within the Kingdom of Denmark and its alliances.”
Even the dogsled race has reacted coolly. The organizers of the competitors — the Avannaata Qimussersua, primarily the Tremendous Bowl of dogsled races — mentioned on Sunday of Ms. Vance and her son, “We didn’t invite them,” however added that the occasion was open to the general public and “they might attend as spectators.”
The Greenland drama started throughout Mr. Trump’s first time period. He floated the concept of shopping for the island from Denmark — with folks in his camp pointing to its prime strategic location on the fringe of North America and alongside the Arctic Ocean — however the plan light away. As out-of-the-blue as that may have appeared, Mr. Trump wasn’t the primary American official to increase it.
In 1868, Secretary of State William Seward, contemporary off the Alaska buy, commissioned a examine about buying Greenland. He was enthusiastic about Greenland’s coal, however the plan didn’t go wherever. American officers resurrected the concept in 1910 and once more in 1946, seeing Greenland as a strategically necessary chunk of territory, however every time Denmark didn’t need to half with it.
What has modified lately is Denmark’s grip. In 2009, Denmark granted Greenland restricted self-rule, which implies the island runs most of its affairs besides protection, international coverage and some others. A motion for full independence has been gathering steam. This month, a intently watched parliamentary election yielded a clumsy and combined end result: The primary-place get together needs to pursue independence slowly whereas the second-place finisher needs it as quickly as doable and features a distinguished pro-Trump member who attended the president’s inauguration.
This raises one other subject: the timing of the go to, whereas Greenland’s events are nonetheless negotiating over forming the island’s subsequent administration.
“It’s unhealthy timing. We don’t also have a new authorities but. They need to’ve waited,” mentioned Jens Peter Lange, a dental technician in Ilulissat, a city within the Arctic Circle.
However he mentioned, “Is it disrespectful? Probably not. I’d fairly say: they lack situational consciousness.”
Svend Hardenberg, a mining govt and, extra not too long ago, a star of a Danish Netflix sequence with a complete season set in Greenland, provided a extra nuanced — however no much less pointed — view.
“Individuals are studying political intent into one thing that, in apply, is kind of simple,” he mentioned. “This was supposed to be a constructive, cultural celebration — and now it’s been was a geopolitical standoff.”
He blamed the press, significantly in Denmark, for “shaping public opinion in a path that creates distrust,” including: “It’s the Danish narrative — Denmark defending its personal place on the earth. That’s what we’re seeing right here.”
The go to has been within the works for weeks. Jørgen Boassen, a Greenlandic bricklayer and outspoken supporter of Mr. Trump, mentioned he helped plan it. Mr. Boassen has been concerned in a number of of the Trump camp’s heavy-handed efforts in Greenland together with the go to by Donald Trump Jr. in January that was adopted by pro-Trump social media influencers passing out $100 payments. Many Greenlanders weren’t so keen on that, both.
Nonetheless, Mr. Boassen mentioned in an interview, “as an alternative of simply rejecting them, we must be cooperating with the People. We merely can’t keep away from the U.S. as a accomplice.”
“I feel it’s completely nice that they’re coming,” he added. “It’s an enormous promotion for our Greenlandic sled canines.”
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