Will Trump take ‘no’ for Greenland’s final answer?
The history books will record 2025 as the first time ever that a Greenland election was a globally watched story.
The March 11 contest on the sparsely populated Arctic island would normally be of interest only to its 41,126 registered voters and Denmark, which oversees Greenland’s defence and foreign policy.
But this year’s election for 31 members of Greenland’s parliament, the Inatsisartut, was covered as if it were in the US.
I’m exaggerating but it’s true that the contest became an event on newsroom calendars in many parts of the world, rather than an exercise no one even knew existed.
The main issues for Greenland voters have traditionally revolved around fishing and alleged Danish superciliousness and parsimony.
But after Donald Trump assumed the US presidency a second time round, Greenland understood that it was firmly in US sights as a candidate for 21st century territorial expansion.
Pre-Trump, Greenland’s aspirations to be independent of Denmark were the biggest dividing line between its major political parties, the main issue being how quickly, not whether this can take place.
Now, it seems the voters have spoken, offering Denmark the longest possible time before independence comes about.
With the centre-right opposition Demokraatit Party winning the most votes, Greenland is on course to a gradual glide towards independence rather than a hasty parting of ways with Copenhagen.
Will Mr Trump take ‘no’ for an answer?
