Can Denmark Hold on to Greenland in the Wake of Trump’s Demand?

 

Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has already been abducted by the US. The megalomaniac buffoon Donald Trump is boasting that the US now owns Venezuela. Given the extent to which Maduro’s security has been compromised, I would not bet on Delcy Rodríguez and her brother’s resolve to hold the country together; there is plenty of evidence to suggest that their hands were not clean.

I have always believed in physiognomy. Maduro’s eyes and moustache do reveal certain traits about the man: introversion, paranoia, lack of intelligence, and a largely self-serving nature. No wonder his security detail chose to look elsewhere when his hideout was invaded.

Trump has been shouting his intention to possess Greenland and to make Canada the US’s 51st State.

Despite all the bravado, I suspect Denmark will capitulate to his demand.

Geographically, the distance between Denmark and Greenland’s east coast is about 3,000 km, whereas the east–west width of Denmark itself is only about 450 km!

History says it all…
Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany on 9 April 1940 and capitulated the same day, within about six hours of the invasion beginning. Fortunately, it was allowed to retain its government, parliament, and king, and control over much of its internal administration.

(Danish resistance did grow later in the war, especially after 1943, including an effective resistance movement and the famous rescue of Danish Jews.)

Greenland, with an area of approximately 2.16 million km², is the largest island in the world. However, about 80% of it is covered by ice. It has a population of about 60,000, of which the capital, Nuuk, accounts for roughly 20,000. There is no road network linking towns; travel is by air or sea.

Greenland’s population is remarkably homogeneous, with Kalaallit/Inuit (including mixed Inuit–Danish) accounting for about 88–90%, and Danes (and other Europeans) about 10–12%. The Inuit have strong fishing and hunting traditions.

Mineral Wealth
Greenland is said to host some of the world’s largest known rare-earth deposits, hence Trump’s salivation. However, these elements are associated with uranium, making mining politically and environmentally contentious in Greenland. (The government banned uranium mining in 2021.) Northeast Greenland is also believed to contain one of the largest and highest-grade undeveloped zinc–lead deposits in the world. However, the location is extremely remote. Some large iron ore and graphite deposits have also been identified.

But do you believe the Americans can economically mine these minerals?

Greenland Politically…
Greenland is not a colony of Denmark. It is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with extensive autonomy. The relationship is constitutional, not administrative in the colonial sense. It is not part of the EU (Greenland withdrew in 1985). Denmark’s constitution formally applies, but most governing powers are devolved to Greenland.

Greenlanders are recognised as a distinct people under international law. Greenland controls most domestic policy areas. It has the right to declare independence if approved by a referendum and negotiated with Denmark. Denmark retains responsibility for foreign policy, defence and security, citizenship, monetary policy, and the Supreme Court. However, Greenland is consulted on foreign and security issues that directly affect it and may negotiate and sign international agreements in areas under its competence (e.g. fisheries and the environment).

Financial Relationship
Denmark provides an annual block grant of about USD 560–580 million. This accounts for around one-third of Greenland’s public budget.

The US operates Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base) under agreements with Denmark, with Greenland being consulted.

Militarily…
Greenland does not have its own army; Denmark is responsible for its defence under NATO and existing arrangements. The day-to-day military footprint is small, with periodic rotations of units rather than a large permanent garrison – often with 100–550+ troops, including NATO partners for training exercises.

The only significant foreign military presence in Greenland is US personnel at Pituffik Space Base – with about 100 US military personnel and support staff in 2025.

The Reality…
Greenlanders are not politically hostile to the United States, but Trump’s acquisition proposal does appear to cause some political outcry in Greenland, but not loud.

Most Greenlanders understand that the US has been present since WWII, and that the US presence predates Trump by decades. The US is seen as essential for Arctic security and as a counterweight to overdependence on Denmark.

But to the outside world, Trump’s covetousness – or lust – is a blatant display of hegemonism in its crudest form.

That said, I suspect the natives may succumb to the lure of good money; after all, what difference does it make if Greenland comes under the US? Trump has offered USD 100,000 per person; that amounts only to USD 6 billion.

There is no need for the US to stage any invasion. All it has to do is declare to the world that Greenland is theirs. Period.

Some Anthropological Facts…
Around 985 AD, Erik the Red, a Norseman from Iceland (then under Norwegian influence), founded settlements in Greenland. These Scandinavian settlers were culturally and politically tied to Norway, not Denmark. Greenland became part of the Norwegian realm in 1261, when the Norse Greenlanders pledged allegiance to the King of Norway. Between 1397 and 1523, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden were united under one monarch. Greenland, as part of Norway, thus came under a Danish-led union, but legally remained Norwegian.

After Sweden left the union, Denmark and Norway remained united (1536–1814), and Greenland continued to be considered a Norwegian possession, even though Copenhagen administered it.

In 1814, Denmark lost Norway to Sweden after the Napoleonic Wars, but Denmark retained Norway’s overseas possessions (Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands). This was the legal moment when Greenland became formally Danish, despite its Norwegian origins.

The Inuit are Asiatic in ultimate origin, and their language clearly reflects this. Their ancestors originated in northeastern Siberia. During the last Ice Age, they crossed the Bering Land Bridge (Beringia) into the Americas. This migration occurred in multiple waves over thousands of years. The direct ancestors of Greenlandic Inuit (the Thule people) migrated eastward from Alaska across Arctic Canada to Greenland around c. 1200 AD. They do not identify themselves as “Asian” in any modern sense.

Conclusion
With this mad buffoon around, anything is possible. But he is also a TACO. He will chicken out if Denmark is smart enough to make the above picture happen!

End

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