By Jeff Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Nunatsiaq News
When Aaju Peter first heard U.S. President Donald Trump talk about buying or taking Greenland during his first term, she didn’t take it seriously.
“But now that he is becoming more serious, I’m taking his words more seriously,” Peter, an Iqaluit-based lawyer and activist originally from Greenland, said in an interview.
“It’s disrespectful and offensive that a leader of a country would want to buy our land, my motherland.”
The United States has had a foothold in Greenland since the 1950s, where it operates the Pituffik Space Base military installation, and both the U.S. and Greenland — as part of Denmark — are members of the NATO political and military alliance.
When Trump returned to office last year, he reiterated his desire to acquire Greenland. He claimed that for national security reasons, the U.S. needed to own the Arctic island, which is a country within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Climate change is making previously impassable Arctic shipping routes more accessible, heightening interest and competition in the region by superpowers the U.S., Russia and China.
Over the past week, Greenland returned to the international spotlight yet again.
Following U.S. military’s capture and arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Jan. 3, Katie Miller — the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — tweeted an image of a Greenland map with an American flag superimposed on top of it. The caption read: “SOON.”
Trump and other members of his administration have ramped up their calls to acquire Greenland. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday that “all options are always on the table,” including taking Greenland by military force.
Leaders from Canada and European countries voiced their support for Greenland, and for Denmark’s sovereignty over the territory and its importance to the NATO alliance.
“Canada will always support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark, including Greenland,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday after meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced she would travel to Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, to open a Canadian consulate “in the coming weeks.”
At Carney’s request, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will also travel to Greenland and Denmark, her office said Wednesday.
“The upcoming visit in early February will underscore the importance of Canada’s collaboration with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland, a key Arctic ally and the strong cultural and familial bonds we share,” Rideau Hall said in a statement, adding that more information on Simon’s trip will be announced later.
On social media, Inuit have shared posts in solidarity with Greenland.
“Greenland belongs to the Kalaallit (Greenlandic Inuit)!” singer Susan Aglukark said in a Facebook post shared by more than 900 people.
Attached to her post was a map of Greenland with the country’s red and white flag overlaying the island.
For Peter, the prospect of improved diplomacy between Greenland and Canada would strengthen the relationship for Inuit between both nations.
She wants a continuation of the collaborative relationship between the U.S. and Greenland she says dates back to when American troops protected the territory during the Second World War.
However, Peter said, Trump needs to be honest about what he wants out of Greenland — and about any threats to U.S. national security that would justify his aggressive rhetoric.
“If he does go ahead and take Greenland, he’s not just going to stop there because Nunavut is going to be in the way, right?” Peter said.
“If he can flex his muscles and nothing happens, if nobody else can stop him, I don’t think he would stop.”
Nunatsiaq News attempted to interview Navarana Beveridge, the Danish honorary consul in Iqaluit. However, that request was denied by the Danish foreign affairs ministry in Copenhagen.
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