Greenland chooses a new parliament: giant island is looking for great freedom

A triangular story unfolds in the north of the Atlantic. It’s just not about love, but about land.

In one corner are the Greenlanders who finally want their own state after centuries of colonization and dependence on Denmark.

In the other is the Kingdom of Denmark, to which Greenland (still) belongs and that continues to hold on to the largest island in the world.

And then there is Donald Trump, who wants to make Greenland owns.

Now the relationship dispute goes into a new phase.

This Tuesday, earlier than actually planned, the Greenlanders choose a new parliament, the InatatisArtut. , said the Greenland Prime Minister Múte B. Eggede in early February. Eggede thus refers to Trump’s annexation fantasies.

The area claims of the US president make Copenhagen nervous. Because the foreign policy dust that Trump whirled up puts Denmark under pressure. Trump’s behavior has made the smoldering question of independence on the election campaign topic for years, has declared the separation from Denmark to the goal.

The Greenlanders don’t want to belong to the United States. A charm visit by Donald Trump Jr. In the capital Nuuk, little changed. But they don’t want to be Danish anymore either. And the United States could bring you closer to this goal and play an important role, should Greenland come off from the kingdom.

Since the beginnings of Danish colonization in the 18th century, the relationship between Greenland and Denmark has been complex, a mixture of purpose and hate love. It was not until 1979 that the Inuit nation received extensive autonomy, and in 2009 self-government. Only in foreign and defense policy does Denmark still have the upper hand.

The long colonial story left scars. It was only after the Second World War Denmark to modernize Greenland. New houses, schools, hospitals and streets should be created. Before that, people on the island had to deal with many social and health difficulties.

However, the modernization also led to social problems because many Greenlanders were left behind by the development. , writes the Danish national lexicon. Alcohol consumption, crime and suicide councils subsequently rose.

In addition, there were further violent interventions in Denmark in Greenlandic society, such as the forced movement of Greenland children in the early 1950s, to raise them into a new elite, or forced sterilization of women through spirals in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Grönlanders have always felt second -class: they protested against discrimination and Danish arrogance in nuuk, apparently triggered by one of the Danish radio, in which Greenland stereotypes were exaggerated as seals and complaints about disadvantage.

Such moods continue to feed the desire for independence.

But here Greenland faces a big problem. Even if it became independent, it would be dependent on financial and material support in many areas. Denmark is currently subsidizing the island through a so -called block grant. In 2024 this was – the equivalent of around 576 million euros. This is more than half of the Greenland state revenue.

Denmark also helps to defend the limits of the giant island. This is almost impossible for Greenland with its not even 60,000 inhabitants. Here the USA could come into play. You could take over the security guarantees for Greenland quickly and easily. An air force base, the Pituffik Space Base, already maintains the USA in the north.

However, Donald Trump would not do so without consideration. Trump is known for his Quidproquo policy. Finally to observe towards Ukraine, which has to secure Washington’s support with a raw material deal.

Such mineral treasures are also slumbering under Greenland’s ice :. The Geological Research Center found an exceptional accumulation of important raw materials in the Greenland subsoil, which are required to manufacture modern technical products such as smartphones or wind turbines.

Trump argues that Greenland is needed for safety strategic reasons. In fact, the island has a favorable location in the North Atlantic between the USA and Russia, as a kind of “security buffer”. But the US President should have the possible profits from the mineral resources in mind in his superior fantasies.

Shortly before the parliamentary election, he promised the Greenlanders billion dollar investments and a wealthy future as a US territory. “We are ready to invest billions of dollars to create new jobs and make you rich,” Trump wrote in a contribution on his social network Truth Social. The block grant, on the other hand, would probably be almost a pocket money.

Grönland politicians argue. US investments could replace the block subsidy in the state treasury. In any case, the Greenland Finance and Tax Minister Erik Jensen said that

“In Greenland, one speaks of various models how independence could look and who you could work with if it shouldn’t be with Denmark,” said Astrid Nonbo Andersen, head of the Danish Institute for International Studies, the Danish television station. “The Americans have a strong influence here.”

So will this March 11 seal the independence of Greenland?

No. But the choice continues to focus on the question of independence. Several Greenland politicians want to activate after the vote that regulates the way to independence. The government party Siumut had called for this, but made a back shortly before the election. “We have to start with the studies that will be completed in two years, and then we will see whether we should activate section 21 or not,” said party leader Erik Jensen.

A date for separating Denmark or a referendum is not yet in sight. A lot has to be clarified on the way there. Especially whether Greenland wants to stretch his hand towards the USA or Denmark. But in the end, Gröndland’s independence is only a matter of time.