politics
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January 9, 2025
Trump’s obsession with claiming Greenland and its people for himself is just a new version of the old imperialist story.
Donald Trump Jr. watches after arriving in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 7, 2025.
(Emil Stach/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Donald Trump sent his son Don Jr. on a bizarre real estate scouting mission on Tuesday. The president-elect was best known as a “real estate” developer in Manhattan and Atlantic City before business setbacks and controversy led him to a more stable career as a reality TV billionaire hell-bent on making Greenland the U.S. part of. So, like an 18th-century prince, Trump Jr. was sent to inspect the world’s largest non-continental island on behalf of the king.
The visit comes amid Trump’s obsession with what CNN calls “imperialist land grabs,” tensions that have led him in recent months to speculate on annexing Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada to the United States. Trump’s refusal to rule out the use of force was quickly condemned by the leaders of France and Germany, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrow even saying: “There is no doubt that the EU will let the rest of the world, no matter who it is, They may attack its sovereign borders. Barrow told French media that he did not believe the United States would actually occupy Greenland, but warned that “we have entered an era where the law of the strong has returned.” “
A new era of empire tourism seems to have begun with an eye on empire building.
Trump Jr.’s trip to Greenland went quickly. The president’s descendants spent several hours sightseeing in Nuuk, the snowy capital of the autonomous Danish territory.
The visit climaxed when the president-elect called to talk to his children. In a typical imperial tone, Trump Sr. assured the few locals near Trump Jr., “We will treat you well.” Around the same time, the man who will become the leader of the global superpower on January 20 posted a review of the trip and its mission on social media. Reflecting on the mission, he said: “The Little Tang was founded to resist the colonial rule of King George III. And my representatives landed in Greenland. The reception was excellent. They and the free world need safety, security, strength and peace! This It’s a deal that has to happen MAGA Make Greenland Great Again!
What’s notable about the visit is that Trump Jr. and his parka-clad team didn’t actually meet with America’s elected leaders, a point that extends from a conversation Trump Sr. has had with himself since entering the White House. Come.
current problem
Why? Because these leaders have no interest in being bought and sold by oligarchs or empire builders.
“Greenland is ours. We will not sell it and never will. It won the most votes in the last election. Erik Jensen, leader of the second largest party – the Social Democratic Siumut movement said. “I can confirm that I have no plans to meet with him. “
Jensen responds to Greenland PM’s statement Selmysiak Newspaper: “I repeat, Greenland is not for sale now and will never be for sale.”
Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut both favor independence for the island, which is now a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. 80% of the votes cast in Greenland’s 2021 elections went to pro-independence parties. Egged now says that “history and current conditions show that our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality, and it is time for our country to take the next step.”
The goal, the Prime Minister explained, is “to remove the yoke of colonialism”.
Nothing illustrates the “yoke of colonialism” better than the prospect that a self-governing island of 57,000 people could be bought on the open market or acquired under duress, as Tuesday’s press conference suggested. When reporters asked Trump if he ruled out using “military or economic coercion” to seize Greenland and pursue another territorial ambition – retaking the Panama Canal – the president-elect responded: “No, I can’t guarantee you any of those goals.” Two, but I can say this: we need them to ensure economic security. At a subsequent press conference, Trump speculated on imposing high tariffs on Denmark to force America’s long-time ally to barter with Greenland for whatever the independent-minded people on the island wanted.
Why is Trump so determined to make Greenland — a left-leaning Arctic land with its own parliament, a social welfare state and what the Inuit call “the land of the Greenlanders” — part of the United States?
Like all things imperial, it has nothing to do with the people who Trump suddenly reimagined the place as a “parcel” up for grabs. As we all know, Greenland is located in a region of the world that is of strategic importance to the United States and neighboring Canada, as well as to Russia, China and many other countries. According to one source, this is growing in importance Harvard International Review last year’s assessment because “the effects of global warming have melted Arctic glaciers, increasing the island’s habitable surface area and releasing new natural resources such as oil and minerals.”
Harvard University’s assessment states: “While Greenland remains closely connected to Scandinavia as an autonomous region of Denmark, as the region becomes more habitable, global powers such as the United States, China and Russia are racing to expand their presence in military and economic influence in the region.
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There’s just one problem: For the people of Greenland, the island is already pretty habitable. They live there just like their ancestors. They want to continue living there. They are not enthusiastic about Donald Trump’s imperial ambitions. “I think some people see it as very disrespectful,” Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said of the president-elect’s recent remarks. “And the way it was done, and the fact that you said you could buy another country.”
In fact, if the election results are any indication, the people of Greenland are more than willing to go their own way. Greenland Prime Minister Egede said that “work has begun to establish a framework for an independent state of Greenland.” He suggested that an independence referendum could be held this year as part of Greenland’s efforts to “remove the shackles of colonialism.”
Donald Trump sent his son Don Jr. on a real estate scouting mission on Tuesday. The president-elect made his name as a “real estate” developer in Manhattan and Atlantic City before business setbacks and controversy led him to a more stable career as a reality TV billionaire. . As he suggested during a televised news conference on the same day as his son’s Arctic expedition, use force. So Trump Jr. was sent to inspect the largest island in the world. It was a short trip, and the president’s entourage spent a few hours in Nuuk (still the capital of the autonomous Danish territory). The climax came when the president-elect got on speaker phone to talk to his children. In typical colonial style, Trump Sr. assured the few locals near Trump Jr., “We will treat you well.” Around the same time, the man who will become leader of the economic and military superpower on January 20 posted a review of the trip and his mission on social media, saying: “Don Jr. and my representatives landed in Greenland. The reception was excellent. They and the free world need safety, security, strength and peace! This is a deal that has to happen. MAGA. Make Greenland Great Again!
What’s noteworthy about this visit is that Trump Sr. has been having a conversation with himself since entering the White House, something Trump Jr. and his parka-clad team actually haven’t. Meet Greenland’s elected leaders.
Why? Because these leaders have no interest in being bought and sold by oligarchs or empire builders.
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and we never will be for sale,” said Múte Egede, the island’s democratically elected prime minister. People’s Daily Online The party won the most votes in the last election. Erik Jensen, leader of the second largest party, the Social Democrats Simut Sports said. “I can confirm that I had no plans to meet him. Jensen responds to Greenland PM’s statement Selmysiak Newspaper: “I say it again, Greenland is not for sale now and will never be for sale.” Inuit Ataqatigiit and Summut favored independence for the island, which is currently an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. In fact, 80% of the votes in Greenland’s 201 elections went to pro-independence parties. Egged said, “History and current conditions show that our work with the Kingdom of Denmark has not succeeded in creating full equality, and it is time for our country to take the next step.”
The goal, the Prime Minister explained, is “to remove the yoke of colonialism”. Nothing illustrates the “shackles” of colonialism better than the prospect that a country of 57,000 people could be bought on the open market, or worse, invaded, as Trump was asked at a press conference on Tuesday That was when he was asked whether a military invasion would lead to the “yoke” of colonialism. When reporters asked him if he ruled out using “military or economic coercion” to seize Greenland and pursue another territorial ambition – taking back the Panama Canal, the president-elect responded: “No, I can’t guarantee you either of those two, but I can say this: We need them to keep our economy secure.” Later at the press conference, Trump talked about imposing high tariffs on Denmark to force the United States to of long-time allies bartering for Greenland—regardless of independent thought [people on the island think.
Why is Trump so determined to make Greenland — a left-leaning region with an overwhelmingly Inuit population and a land mass that is largely above the Arctic Circle — a part of the United States?
As in all things imperial, it has nothing to do with the people of the place that has suddenly been imagined as being up for grabs. It is no secret that the island is located in a strategically significant region of the world for the U.S., neihghboring Canada, Russia and China, as well as other countries. And that significance is grow, according to a Harvard International Review assessment from last year, as “the effects of global warming have thawed Arctic glaciers, thereby increasing the island’s habitable surface area and unlocking new natural resources such as oil and minerals.”
“While Greenland remains closely linked to Scandinavia as an autonomous region of Denmark,” notes the Harvard assessment, “global powers such as the United States, China, and Russia are racing to extend military and economic influence in the region as it becomes more habitable.
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