Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, went to the polls on 11 March. US President Donald Trump had recently thrust the region into the geopolitical spotlight.
The Arctic island’s abundant natural resources have been a growing source of interest, but Greenland’s defensive and strategic importance has garnered much attention.
With rising global conflict and the recent straining of European-US relations, Trump has made repeated calls for US control of Greenland, recently stating that America would take the territory “one way or another.”
The topic of independence in Greenland is complicated by its heavy reliance on Denmark. While all but one of the major political parties support the path to independence, they propose differing approaches and time frames.
Greenland is responsible for its own domestic affairs, but Denmark provides them with an annual grant of around £439 million, making up over half of Greenland’s budget.
The most successful party of the night was the centre-right Demokraatit Party who took 30 per cent of the votes. They stand in favour of a gradual approach to independence, working with Denmark to ensure that Greenland’s transition is a successful one and have spoken against Trump.
A Verian poll found that 85 per cent of Greenlanders said they do not want to become part of the US.
Nonetheless, the second largest party, Naleraq, have advocated for a more rapid approach to independence and seems far more open to entertaining prospects from the other side of the Atlantic and working with the US.
With the votes in, the parties are now working to form a coalition government that will likely determine the future of Greenland.
This future may be a source of deepening fragmentations in US-European relations. As the political situation evolves, all eyes are on the Arctic.
“Dog Sledding in Uummannaq, Greenland” by United Nations Photo is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.