Greenland votes on March 11 amid calls for independence, Trump's interest

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede criticised Trump's remarks, stating the island deserves respect and will prioritise relations with nations that acknowledge its sovereignty

As Greenland heads to the legislative elections on Tuesday, global attention focuses on the Arctic island. Typically, these polls would draw little interest from the rest of the world, but they now hold significant geopolitical implications for the Northern Hemisphere amid the calls for independence and US President Donald Trump’s wish to acquire the mineral-rich island, which he reiterated during his address to Congress last Tuesday.

 

Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede said, on Monday, in an interview to Danish public broadcaster DR, “We deserve to be treated with respect, and I don’t think the US president has done that recently since he took office.”

 

 

“We need to draw a line in the sand and put more effort into (cultivating relations with) the countries that show us respect for the future we want to build,” he said.

Why does Trump want control of Greenland?

During his first term in office, in 2019, Trump proposed buying Greenland, but the Danish government declined the offer.

 

He reaffirmed his interest after coming to power again and in his address to Congress indicated that the US needs Greenland, the island that has a history of human habitation stretching back more than 4,000 years, for national security and even international security. He claimed that US will get it “one way or the other”. He further said to the people of Greenland, “We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before. It’s a very small population, but very, very large piece of land and very, very important for military security.”

 

Also, Greenland with its capital Nuuk closer to New York than Copenhagen, holds significant mineral, oil, and natural gas reserves. Because of climate change, the ice is melting and eventually, mining these reserves will become easier on the island, where development is slow, the economy is heavily reliant on aid from Denmark.

 

Because of the above factors, in 2018, China too tried to gain more influence in the region and declared itself a near-Arctic state. It announced plans to build a Polar Silk Road as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, which has created economic links with countries around the world.

What do the Greenlanders want?

The self-governing region of Denmark is home to indigenous peoples migrating from present-day Canada, Norse settlers, Lutheran missionaries and US military personnel who used it as a strategic base against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. It has a small population of 57,000 people.

 

According to media reports, a recent poll found that the majority of the Genlanders do not wish to become a part of the United States. They want to be neither American nor Danish – just Greenlandic. Almost 50 per cent of them see Trump’s interest as a threat. PM Egede, who supports full independence for Greenland, has said on multiple occasions that the island belongs to its people and that they should decide on its future.

 

On March 11, around 40,000 voters will choose just 31 parliamentarians of Greenland. According to media reports, the main issues that Greenlanders will vote on include independence from Denmark, relations with the US and other global powers, resource management and domestic issues like employment, education, among others.