Greenland is making moves towards independence. A two-year commission underway.
Independence Movement Picks Up Steam
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump’s Talk of Buying Greenland Energizes Island’s Independence Movement
Greenland is a self-ruling part of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Danish government says it is willing to grant Greenland full independence if there is local support, and recent Greenlandic elections and polls indicate there is.
Trump’s recent threat of a trade war with Denmark is changing the negotiating dynamic, says Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies. The Danish government now might be more open to agreeing a divorce deal that includes some continued payments to ease Greenland’s path to independence, he says. “My prognosis is that the Danish government will accept it in the next few years,” he says. An independent Greenland would then be free to forge its own security or economic ties with the U.S., Denmark or anyone else.
In April, Greenland goes to the polls in a vote that could fire the starter gun on independence for the territory of 57,000 people. The last time elections were held, pro-independence parties got 80% of the vote.
The prime minister of Greenland made a New Year’s address to the nation saying that a draft constitution for the country has been prepared and that the independence process should be triggered.
“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” Múte Egede said. “Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation—which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era—and move on.”
A 2009 Danish law lays out how Greenland can take the first step in the process: It must notify the Danish government, the two must negotiate a divorce agreement and the deal must then be ratified by a referendum in Greenland. The Greenlandic government has commissioned legal experts to work out the details of how step one would work with a two- year deadline.
Pro-independence campaigners in Greenland would like to adopt a “free association” model, similar to the relationship between the Marshall Islands and the U.S. or the Cook Islands and New Zealand.
Some of Trump’s advisers have privately acknowledged a sale of Greenland is unlikely, but an expansion of U.S. military and financial presence on the island is a possibility. A poll in 2021 showed that 69% of Greenlanders favored more cooperation with the U.S., compared with 39% who favored tighter cooperation with China.
Trump’s Offer to Buy Greenland
Some people thought I was crazy when I posted Trump’s Offer to Buy Greenland Is Not as Preposterous as it Sounds
A free association model may be more likely, but don’t rule out an outright purchase.
There are only about 59,000 Greenland citizens. I proposed an offer of $2 million each. That would only be $118 billion.
Greenland would be cheap at double the price if I am correct about the mineral deposits.
Critical Materials Risk Assessment
Our Department of Energy has placed some of the rare earth minerals we need for weapons systems, wind turbines, batteries, semiconductors, cell phones, and aircraft on a critical materials list.
Nearly all of them are mined or refined in China.
Please consider a Critical Materials Risk Assessment by the US Department of Energy
If Trump increases tariffs on China by 60 percent, China could easily shut down rare earth exports. I have been warning about this for years
China controls more than 80% of the world’s supply of tungsten and about 90% of global magnesium production
China has an effective monopoly over processing major heavy rare earths – Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb), and Light Rare Earths – Neodymium (Nd) and Praseodymium (Pr).
China Halts Rare Earth Exports
On December 3, I commented China Halts Rare Exports Used by US Technology Companies and the Military
This is China’s advance salvo at Trump tariffs. It comes one day after the Biden administration expanded curbs on the sale of advanced American technology to China.
The US gets rare earths from allies who get them from China. But don’t rule out the possibility that China shuts off all access.
“Greenland would be cheap at double the price if I am correct about the mineral deposits.”
But it would make zero sense for the USA to buy Greenland, because then it would follow American laws. It’s the same situation as Ukraine and the EU. The minerals may be tempting, but what makes the territory look desirable aren’t the minerals only, but the minerals plus an absence of any laws that bring up the price of said minerals, such as: using the dollar/euro as a currency (which gets in the way of big enough currency imbalances), labour laws, environmental regulations, etc.
Not sure that Greenland can be independent. 60K people for a land that size?
What are they going to defend themselves with? They will get eaten up by Russia and China. Many countries have larger militaries than Greenland has people.
The reason Greenland matters is the economic potential and their position in the world (Arctic state, close to the US/Canada, vast mineral resources). Unfortunately, they can’t do much with them or protect what they have. Becoming a territory is not a bad deal for them. There is a reason why Puerto Rico hasn’t asked to be a state. They get all the benefits of being part of the U.S. (citizenship, money), without any of the downsides (like taxes).
Greenland’s move toward independence presents a great opportunity for the country’s development. However, it is also fraught with risks. Without careful planning, Greenland could face economic challenges or become a battleground for global powers. The path to independence should be a transparent process supported by the people in all dimensions.
All this stupidity is a distraction from the massive grift they have planned, nothing more.
Controlling the resources is part one, then you have to process them.
China, India, Malaysia or Vietnam will process them. No one else wants to.
Greenland independence….really? With a population of 60,000 people, do they really have the expertise, the skill set, the financial wherewithal to run a land mass that big? I know nothing about it, but I know Donald Trump, who’s a loudmouth and blowhard, and who seeks attention every single day and misbehaves every single day. Trump’s an embarrassment to America and I’m going to hate the next 4 years. I’m a registered Republican and no leftist. But Trump keeps talking about tax cuts when the federal government will be $40 trillion in debt within 18 months. Interest is now the 2nd biggest item in the budget…more than defense, Medicaid or Medicare. What would we buy Greenland with, we’re over $36 trillion in debt so we’d just be borrowing more money. Trump’s proposal to buy Greenland is more immature attention-seeking behavior because he wants to be the top news story every day.
Aw, give the guy a break – he’s only having fun and he’s not hurting anyone. (The only one of the last half-dozen presidents who didn’t start a new war….)
Who wouldn’t want to run a country just for a lark…?
As Ricky Gervais said at the Golden Globes, “just relax and have some fun – we’ll all be dead soon and there’s no sequel…”
The problem of debt is not an American problem – it’s an international fiat monetary system problem. When the organic fertilizer finally impacts the rotating air-circulating device, the USA will still be energy independent, and will still own about half of the world’s best agricultural land, separated by ocean-sized moats from any enemy – and most of the rest of the world will still wish they were American….
“A poll in 2021 showed that 69% of Greenlanders favored more cooperation with the U.S., compared with 39% who favored tighter cooperation with China.”
That doesn’t say much about the popularity of the US when China can count on almost 40% support, given geography and cultural proximity. Just saying.
If the US steal land from the EU. The EU need to cut all ties with America.
No one is stealing any land.
Trump will offer to buy it.
They will likely turn him down, but if they accept, which is possible, that isn’t stealing.
I do expect Trump to buy mineral rights which would be a great deal for everyone.
But according to the French Foreign Minister Greenland belongs to the EU……
”Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark (which also includes the territories of Denmark and Faroe Islands) is one of the EU members’ overseas countries and territories (OCT) associated to the European Union.”
Greenland opted out of the EU.
Good move.
Greenland formally withdrew from the EU in 1985.
Today, Greenland is still part part of the Danish crown, but the 2009 autonomy acts give Greenland the right to secession through a referendum.
https://mishtalk.com/economics/trumps-offer-to-buy-greenland-is-not-as-preposterous-as-it-sounds/
Looks like sentiment in Greenland regarding the EU has shifted. 60% are now in favor of joining thr EU.
https://x.com/EU_Made_Simple/status/1876577018453876902
Economic chaos is just weeks away now. Enjoy your layoffs, I hope your firings go well.
I’m amazed the debt bomb hasn’t yet exploded in our face. What prosperity we have in this country is made possible by tens of trillions in debt. And Trump keeps talking about more tax cuts. We need tax increases and spending reductions.
Nobody in Fedgov, including Trump, expect to pay off the National Debt. They will repudiate the debt using one mechanism or another.
Even talking about Washington as if it were a legitimate power is amusing. The worthless fiat currency is being power printed by the TPTB and spread around the world. It’s even paying for genocide.
We know of 21+ trillion stolen by the pentagon and HUD up thru 2015. They took large portions of federal accounting to hide the ongoing theft at that point. Fedgov tried to mass murder Americans with the clot shot bioweapon. Fedgov is working on illegal mass migration and population replacement.
What we need to do is remove this totalitarian regime from this country. All of it. Then implement honest accounting, honest elections and honest representation. Anything else is just Kabuki Theater.
It will go quickly I believe. The negotiating part is relatively easy both with Danemark and the Greenlanders. Till now the Danish government treated them as wards of the State granting them money, free health and education but nothing more. As with all European countries (actually most of the world except the US) mineral rights are government owned so even though you are literally siting on a gold mine, the government gets the money from its exploitation and they give you what they deem the land was worth before the gold was discovered which means the least they can get away with. Essentially the Greenlanders lived on a land full of mineral riches but had to live on hand-outs from the Danish government and subject to the whims of ecologists who had decreed that Greenland must remain a pristine place where they can go for selfies with eskimos and polar bears. That is totally ridiculous
Now if Greenland adopts US law in this matter, then they can benefit fully from the wealth that the island has instead of going hat in hand to the Danish parliament when they need something. The Greenlander population is looking at the certainty that with royalties from the mining and fishing concessions each one of them will not be millionaires but multimillionaires. The deal is already done. It’s an offer they can’t refuse.
Greenland will have homeless snd billionaires by the end of the year.
The US will obviously shaft Greenland just as it now turns against its supposed ally.
The hardest part about buying Greenland, is shipping it to the desert southwest so we can use the water.
I thought the Trump Admin planned to decrease Federal spending.
No. Return on investment.
An additional perk on the self imposed embargo the jobs available will get done by emigrants tech by hi visas the menial jobs by illegal migrants hurray .
Emigrants is leaving
Immigrants are coming.
The more you know 🌈
Tomato tomato Wishful thinking is not reality, the Nile is a river in Egypt.
Why does the US have to buy Greenland to gain access to minerals? Why haven’t US businesses already courted and entered into an agreement with Greeland for the minerals? US business could easily gain access if the offered the right price and Greelanders were open to accepting offers. This talk of buying Greenland or it becoming part of the US is very odd to me.
10 million illegal migrants suddenly find a new home along with shovel ready (mining, drilling, construction) jobs.
10 million workers? I would ballpark it at 100,000 or less. In the entire US, mining employs around 600,000. The accessible areas of Greenland, the coastal parts not covered by a mile of ice, are about 25% the size of Alaska. Alaska has 12,000 employed in mining.
I understand that there “might” be far better deposits to mine in Greenland. But the question then is why they aren’t already being developed. If there was a strong economic case, the mines would already be in production.
Besides, we will need a lot of workers here to rebuild places like LA and North Carolina. The state of NC estimates the costs of flooding there last year at $53 billion. And the current fires is LA are estimated to already cost north of $100 billion. That’s a lot of rebuilding in just those two areas of America.
Clearly the adults in the conversation thus far are the Danes. I like the idea of a close relationship w/Greenland (as part of Denmark or as an independent state) … but if the Greenlanders are open to $2M/person and that is a good deal for the US wrt minerals et al … then I guess that is a win-win. I just like the idea of partners more than creating another state or territory.
You should understand that the Danes are out of the conversation now. What they do has little consequence now for Greenland.
It’s a ridiculous price and it’s never going to happen. It’s just more immature attention-seeking by Donald Trump who had a disastrous 4 years when he was president. Trump couldn’t manage America without making us look ridiculous in the eyes of the world.
Am I imagining or do you actually dislike Trump?
The shit show drumming gets louder the end result is nothing just think about the tariffs if that takes place then that will be in effect a self imposed embargo question have you ever been in a country that is under an embargo I have. There no medicine no new cars no machinery there’s nothing .welcome to the maga world.
Another SEWARDS FOLLY ? mineral rich
Welcome Greenlanders!
We have a new migrant workforce of 10 million workers ready to come there to start mining / drilling and building.
Trump the peace-maker has collapsed in my Mind. America will continue its military-industrial-complex expansionism. This is WHAT happens to our treasury and where it ALL GOES (along with the graft and insider deals by Congressional Members who are IN ON IT).
Maybe. Or maybe he’s tightening the circle of US interests. Secure the northern passage with Greenland and secure the Panama Canal. Then reinvigorate the Monroe Doctrine: you stay out of our backyard and we’ll stay out of yours. That means a border dispute between Russia and the Ukraine is not important to us. We’ll see what happens in Asia. Our Asian “allies” should consider carefully whether the U.S. can forever dictate the state of things or defend them. Since hypersonic missiles are rendering aircraft carriers giant coffins, the U.S. is using countries in the region – from Bangladesh to Japan – solely as forward bases against China. My guess is that Trump doesn’t agree to expensive and dangerous expansions of US military installations in Asia, but time will tell.
Maybe Trump’s mentally ill, along with all the Americans who voted to give us all 4 more years of chaos. Republican Senator Mitch McConnell described Trump as “despicable”, “stupid” and “unfit to be President”. I see no reason to disagree with his analysis. If we were to buy Greenland, which is not for sale, we’d have to borrow all that money because America is buried in debt. And that debt bomb is bound to implode sometime in the near future. Interest on that debt is the 2nd biggest item in the federal budget. Under Trump we got another $8 trillion in debt. Under Biden another $7.2 trillion in debt….it’s madness.
I am sure that Putin will feel Trump’s “peace-making” in ways he never expected.
“Biting the Hand that Feeds you…” springs to mind.
When Crimea, then an autonomous province, does a referendum for independence, it’s a Russian invasion!
It was taken by force by an enemy military, so yes. The referendum for independence was fabricated by the conquering force and should be confused with a fair referendum.
Crimea was a part of Russia for centuries and was symbolically given to Ukraine when they were part of the Soviet Union. When Obama and McCain interfered in their political system leading up to this war, the Russians took it back. It had their Black Sea naval base. We would have done the same thing in those cirucmstances.
The people of Crimea didn’t consider Russia their enemy. They considered themselves Russian – historically, linguistically, religiously.
That’s a very complex situation with a lot of history behind it. Not suggesting that the invasion was anything but egrigious … but it was not unprovoked. It includes the agreement to not expand NATO eastword, and the USSR’s moving of people to destroy national identity, and use of ports by various peoples. The situation is nowhere near as simple as many (on both sides) would have you believe.
Why Greenland Is Of Growing Strategic Significancehttps://www.twz.com/news-features/why-greenland-is-of-growing-strategic-significance
Musk can start here Cost Of Navy’s Newest Arleigh Burke Destroyers Is Ballooninghttps://www.twz.com/news-features/cost-of-navys-newest-flight-iii-arleigh-burke-destroyers-is-ballooning