Greenland Has Been Sold to American Neocolonialism

When US President Donald Trump once again said back in January that he would ensure an American takeover of Greenland, tensions between the Danish Kingdom and the world s greatest superpower were palpable.

Trump refused to rule out using the US military to take over the island, and it later emerged that Danish soldiers in Greenland had been ordered to fire on Americans if they approached. But it did not end in war. Instead, it resulted in a “high-level working group” between Greenland, Denmark, and the United States, which was tasked with finding a solution.

That solution was presented to us on Tuesday, September 22, when Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and US President Donald Trump signed a new agreement on US involvement in Greenland at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

So what does this agreement contain?

Broadly speaking, it amounts to an almost total colonization of Greenland under the American empire. This may sound dramatic, but the content of the agreement gives the United States such far-reaching powers that less emphatic words cannot adequately describe what unfolded in New York.

The United States is allowed to build two new military bases in Greenland. Its soldiers and military equipment are granted completely free movement across the entire island. Only NATO members may have any military presence whatsoever, and all investments in the country that are not made by NATO or EU members must be approved by a new “permanent council” consisting of representatives from the United States, Denmark, and Greenland.

The agreement even contains a clause stating that if Greenland one day chooses to become independent from Denmark, it must seek membership of NATO, and all of the powers granted to the United States under the new agreement must be respected. Furthermore, the agreement has no fixed end date.

In other words, this is an agreement that is more far-reaching than the 1951 Defence Agreement, which for many years has provided the framework for the US military presence in Greenland.

US imperialism in the Arctic must not be allowed to pass without scrutiny. This agreement must be criticized, and its neocolonial aspects must be exposed and highlighted.

It is therefore correct to call this agreement what it is: a colonial treaty that gives the United States control over Greenland. The country can now become independent from Denmark, as provided for under Greenland s Self-Government Act, but it can never free itself from the shackles imposed by the United States.

For the media, politicians, and public commentators to call the agreement a “diplomatic masterpiece” is like calling a puddle a magnificent ocean. It is an exaggeration that serves no purpose other than to soften the neocolonial takeover unfolding before our eyes.

The negotiations were conducted with a gun pointed at Greenland s head. The situation Greenland found itself in was certainly not an easy one. But that does not justify Denmark helping to sell the country to US imperialist ambitions. It deserves criticism, and it must be called what it is, regardless of how difficult or complicated the negotiations may have been.

The Greenlandic government itself, however, participated in negotiating the agreement, which represents a new development. When the agreement was signed, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, head of Greenland s government, said:

“This is not an agreement about us; it is an agreement with us.”

Nevertheless, there currently appears to be no intention of putting the agreement to a referendum among Greenlanders. Greenland s sovereignty and much of its right to self-determination are thus being handed over to the United States without the population even being asked. This is shameful beyond all measure.

US imperialism in the Arctic must not be allowed to pass without scrutiny. This agreement must be criticized, and its neocolonial aspects must be exposed and highlighted. The mainstream media and those in power clearly have no interest in doing so. It is therefore up to all anti-imperialists to take up the task that they have shamefully neglected.

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