American threats push Greenland closer to Denmark

Hindustan Times

20-05-2025

AMERICAN SPOOKS boast formidable intelligence-gathering tools. On any given day they might be hoovering up the phone records of suspected terrorists or tracking Russian troops in Ukraine. These days, however, spies can be found snooping on a target much closer to home: Greenland. According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration directed its intelligence agencies, including the CIA and National Security Agency, to step up surveillance of Greenland's independence movement and identify locals sympathetic to American designs on the Arctic island.
It is the latest twist in President Donald Trump's stated desire to buy or conquer the self-governing territory of 56,000 people, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark. A visit in March by the vice-president, J.D. Vance, in which he claimed Denmark had 'not done a good job by the people of Greenland', had already upped the ante. But allegations of spying have sparked widespread outrage among Greenlanders and Danes. 'Espionage against an ally and partner [is] completely unacceptable' thundered Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister. The Danish government swiftly summoned America's ambassador for a dressing-down. Lawmakers are considering closing the American consulate in Nuuk, the capital.
Mr Trump's initial interest in Greenland, and the ensuing media frenzy, helped rekindle Greenland's independence debate. But his continued predations now seem to be having the opposite effect: Greenland and Denmark are closing ranks. Elections to Greenland's 31-member parliament in March handed the opposition Democrats, who have favoured closer ties with Denmark and a slower path to independence, a plurality. The new governing coalition stated it would 'tread carefully' with regards to independence (read: not any time soon).
Relations between Greenland and Denmark are growing noticeably warmer. On a visit to Copenhagen in late April, Mr Nielsen agreed with Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's prime minister, to band together amidst 'disrespectful' American threats. Mr Nielsen flew back to Greenland alongside the Danish king, Frederik X, for a visit designed to project solidarity. Donning a warm coat emblazoned with the Danish and Greenlandic flags, the king met hundreds of locals over coffee at Nuuk's cultural centre. The Danish government has agreed to boost its puny spending on Arctic defence. Pipaluk Lynge, the head of the Greenland parliament's foreign-affairs committee, welcomed co-operation with Denmark to head off American threats. 'We can't get through this without them.'
Backers of independence sense a loss of momentum. Kuno Fencker, a fire-brand MP, bemoans the dwindling enthusiasm. 'Greenlanders have become very scared about an American invasion,' he sighs, blaming the Danish and international press for whipping up paranoia. The island's usually sedate politics have grown more venomous, too. Mr Fencker, who travelled to Mr Trump's inauguration in January, filed a defamation suit against Aaja Chemnitz, a fellow Greenlander in the Danish parliament, after she labelled his jaunt to Washington a threat to the national interest.
For now, Mr Trump's repeated threats have papered over some Greenlanders' frustrations with the legacy of Danish colonial rule. But old wounds run deep. One neuralgic issue remains the 4,500 Inuit girls and women who were forcibly fitted with contraceptive coils by Danish doctors during the 1960s and 1970s. Many Greenlanders argue it constituted a form of genocide. The Danish government is yet to issue an official apology. Results of a joint investigation are due in September, which could yet engender another surge in support for independence. 'We lost a battle,' concedes Mr Fencker. 'But the war is not over.'
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