By Paul Smith, 14 February 2025
Trump’s threats accelerate Greenland’s push for independence, amid growing dangers of imperialist exploitation and conflict, as the Arctic becomes a new battleground in the global struggle for power, natural resources and strategic dominance.
In 2019, Donald Trump’s proposal to purchase Greenland, reducing the future of the country to a real estate deal, may have seemed like a joke, but his renewed interest at the start of his second presidency – threatening Denmark with tariffs and refusing to rule out military force (against a NATO country!) to seize the territory – has been a wake up call.
What may have appeared the bluster of a madman or fool, now reveals a stark geopolitical reality: climate change is melting Arctic ice, opening up new shipping routes and exposing valuable mineral deposits. As a result, Greenland’s importance in a world shaped by competition for natural resources and intensifying geopolitical rivalry among global superpowers is growing.
Trump’s pitch for Greenland also highlights the deep contradictions of the island’s political status as a semi-autonomous former colony , as well as the dangers and opportunities posed by independence.
Greenland’s colonial history
Greenland’s indigenous population, the Inuit, have inhabited the island since 2,500 BCE. In the first millennium CE, Norse seafarers reached Greenland and established settlements that lasted several centuries. Modern colonisation began in 1721 with the arrival of the Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede, who established a permanent European presence on the island. In 1814, Greenland was officially incorporated into the Danish kingdom after the dissolution of the Denmark-Norway union.
For much of its colonial history, Greenland functioned as an economic appendage of Denmark, supplying raw materials such as fish, seals, and whales while depending on Denmark for manufactured goods and governance.
Under capitalist development, Greenland’s indigenous Inuit population was subjected to economic marginalization, forced cultural assimilation, and dependency on Danish policies.
During World War 2, the US assumed de facto control over Greenland while Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany. Although the country was returned to Denmark after World War 2, Greenland’s strategic location during the Cold War made it a valuable asset for US military operations, particularly in the context of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union.
In 1946, the US offered to purchase Greenland for $100 million ($1 billion today), but Denmark refused. Nevertheless, the US maintained a military presence, most notably with the establishment of Thule Air Base in 1951. The US placed nuclear weapons on the island as well as radar stations.
This was often done with disregard for the well-being and consent of Greenland’s indigenous population. Traditional Inuit settlements were forcibly relocated. In 1968, a US jet carrying nuclear bombs crashed near Thule Air Base causing radioactive contamination of the area.
Today, Greenland continues to play a crucial security role for the US, being home to the ballistic missile early warning system and US space and satellite surveillance.
In 1953 Greenland was incorporated into the Kingdom of Denmark, ending its official colonial designation, but changing little in terms of its colonial relationship with Denmark. In 1979 a degree of autonomy was granted to Greenland, and yet more autonomy was granted in 2009.
Greenland now has its own parliament, but is financially dependent on Denmark, which provides annual financial subsidies accounting for nearly half of Greenland’s budget. In addition, Denmark also controls Greenland’s foreign and security policy.
Untapped natural wealth
In addition to its strategic security importance, Greenland has become a focal point for the world’s superpowers because of its abundant natural resources.
Despite the existential threat posed by climate change, capitalist nations are increasingly viewing the melting Arctic as an economic opportunity. As global warming accelerates and Arctic ice continues to shrink, Greenland – home to vast, largely untapped resources due to its harsh climate and remote location – is becoming more accessible for mining, drilling, and new shipping routes.
Key natural resources in Greenland that attract the interest of capitalist states and multinational corporations include:
- Rare earth minerals – essential for modern technology, including smartphones, electric vehicles, semiconductors and military hardware.
- Other essential minerals, including copper, lithium, cobalt and nickel.
- Oil and natural gas – Greenland is estimated to hold large offshore reserves, which could rival those of major energy-producing nations. Estimates put the value at between $1 trillion and $4 trillion.
- Uranium – Greenland has some of the largest uranium deposits in the world, crucial for nuclear energy and defence industries.
- Fishing industry – a vital economic sector, as Greenland’s waters hold some of the richest fisheries in the world.
- Freshwater and ice – Greenland’s massive ice sheet is increasingly viewed as a potential resource for freshwater export and even climate engineering projects.
Rare earths
Although rare earth minerals are abundant, their extraction is environmentally damaging, producing vast amounts of toxic waste. As a result, few countries have been willing to mine them until recently. This has allowed China to dominate the global rare earth market for decades, prioritizing profit over environmental concerns.
Furthermore, China holds numerous patents on rare earth extraction and refining processes, making it more cost-effective for many countries to send their unprocessed ores to China for refinement rather than undertake the process themselves. Today, China accounts for more than 95 percent of global rare earth production.
However, reliance on China for rare earth supplies has become increasingly problematic in an era of rising geopolitical tensions and an escalating trade war.
Concerned that the US could be cut off from Chinese rare earth exports, Trump has sought alternative sources. This explains his recent interest in securing rights to exploit Ukraine’s rare earth resources, as well as his focus on Greenland, which is estimated to hold around 25% of the world’s deposits.
Currently, mining rare earth minerals, uranium, and drilling for oil are banned in Greenland. However, the Greenlandic government is now considering opening up its natural resources to the US in an effort to achieve economic independence from Denmark.
The Great Game in the Arctic
But the US is not the only country showing interest in the Arctic. Russia, with 24,000 kilometres of Arctic coastline, is a major player in the region, while China, though not an Arctic nation, is eager to establish itself as an Arctic power.
China has attempted to purchase ports, infrastructure, and mining rights in Greenland, though these efforts have so far been unsuccessful. In addition, China is the second-largest destination for Greenland’s exports (primarily fish) after the European Union. Furthermore, China and Russia have conducted joint military exercises in the region and are cooperating in shipping.
As Arctic ice melts, new shipping routes are emerging, such as the Northwest and Northeast Passages, offering the potential for shorter trade routes between Asia and the West, bypassing traditional routes like the Suez Canal, which is increasingly vulnerable due to instability in the Middle East.
Like the Suez and Panama Canals, control over these strategically important sea passages is crucial. Meanwhile, the EU – particularly Denmark – seeks to preserve its political and economic influence over Greenland to prevent it from falling into the hands of the US or China.
The new era of geopolitical conflict and inter-imperialist rivalry, often referred to as the “New Cold War”, does not imply a world divided into two rigid blocs. In reality, the situation is more fluid, with conflicting interests both within and between these blocs, and many actors adopting a pragmatic, flexible approach.
In the case of the Arctic, which is emerging as a new maritime frontier, the dynamics resemble the “Great Game” – the term used to describe the 19th-century rivalry between British and Russian imperialism for influence and control in Central Asia.
Colonial subjugation, economic marginalization, and cultural erasure
The most important factor in this situation, however, is the people of Greenland, who cannot be treated as mere pawns. Given their painful history under colonial rule, anger has simmered for years among the Greenlandic people. Denmark’s continued arrogance and refusal to acknowledge the wrongs it has inflicted have only fuelled growing support for independence.
Under Danish rule, Greenland’s economy was forcibly integrated into the capitalist system, with Danish commercial interests prioritized over the traditional subsistence lifestyle of the Inuit. Throughout the 20th century, Danish authorities pushed for the “modernization” of Greenland, promoting urbanization, wage labour, and Western-style education, often at the expense of Inuit traditions and social structures.
In the 1950s and 1960s, dozens of traditional Inuit settlements were forcibly relocated into apartment blocks as part of a so-called modernization drive. One community was moved as far as 150 km further north and forced to establish a new settlement under much harsher conditions to make way for Thule Air Base.
During the same period, Inuit children were forcibly separated from their families and sent to Denmark as part of a “social experiment” aimed at reshaping their identities.
Racism and discrimination also extend to the treatment of Greenlandic families in Denmark. Children of Greenlandic parents are more than five times as likely to be placed in care compared to children of Danish parentage.
The “parenting competency” tests used in Denmark for child protection investigations have been shown to be culturally and linguistically biased, sometimes resulting in newborn babies being taken from their mothers just hours after birth.
In the 1960s, Denmark attempted to limit Greenland’s population by forcibly administering contraception to around 4,500 women, many of whom were teenagers at the time and unaware of what was being done to them. In many cases, this resulted in sterilization. Currently, 143 of the affected women are suing the Danish state for violating their human rights.
Self-determination
Trump’s declared intention to either purchase or militarily seize Greenland has brought the question of self-determination for the island’s 57,000 residents into sharper focus.
While Trump claims that Greenland’s residents want to be part of the US, opinion polls tell a different story. A recent survey found that 85% of Greenlanders oppose their island becoming part of the US, with only 6% in favour and 9% undecided.
Interestingly, a poll in Denmark revealed that while 78% of Danes oppose Greenland being sold to the US, 72% believe the final decision should belong to the people of Greenland, not Denmark. This suggests that many in Denmark would likely support Greenland’s independence if it were achieved through a democratic decision by Greenland’s population.
All of Greenland’s parliamentary parties oppose the island becoming part of the US and support independence, but there are differing views on how and when to achieve this.
In response to Trump’s renewed interest and threats, some leaders, like Prime Minister Múte Egede, have adopted a more conciliatory approach toward the US. While the government has declared independence as its ultimate goal, Egede is now downplaying the idea of immediate separation.
On the one hand, he affirmed that Greenland is not for sale, but on the other, he expressed openness to a larger US role in the country. Egede has signalled his willingness to cooperate with Trump and noted that Greenland has its “doors open in terms of mining”.
Similarly, while Denmark has also firmly stated that Greenland is not for sale, it has indicated a readiness to make concessions regarding the US’s role on the island.
Greenland’s election
Greenlanders will go to the polls on 11 March to elect its 31-seat parliament. Independence will be a central issue in the election campaign, and Siumut, Greenland’s ruling party, has announced plans to hold a referendum on independence shortly thereafter. The result is expected to strongly favour independence, as only about 28% of Greenlanders have expressed opposition to it.
Naleraq, a small opposition party, holds the firmest position on independence. Its leader, Pele Broberg, is in favour of immediately negotiating the country’s independence from Denmark.
Given Greenland’s reliance on substantial subsidies from Denmark, Broberg has raised the question: “If you’re not owned by Denmark, who are you owned by?… But that’s not how you should look at it.”
Naleraq’s alternative is to drastically slash the government budget by half to compensate for the loss of financial support from Denmark. However, such a solution is unlikely to gain widespread support. While a majority of Greenlanders favour independence, a poll showed that 45% would oppose it if it had a negative impact on living standards.
Perhaps for this reason, Naleraq also sees a larger role for the US, proposing that it would sign a defence agreement with the US after achieving independence as well as a potential “free association” with Denmark or another country, possibly the US.
Can an independent capitalist Greenland be viable?
As revolutionary socialists, we support the right to self-determination for the people of Greenland, including the right to separate from Denmark. It is not for imperialist or former colonial powers to decide Greenland’s future; the people of Greenland themselves should have control over their country’s direction and its natural resources.
However, it is clear that an independent Greenland would face severe existential challenges from the outset. On a capitalist basis, a truly independent state would not be viable.
Without Danish subsidies and considering Greenland’s growing military significance in the region, the country would become a prized asset fought over by imperialist powers.
The most likely outcome would be dependence on the US, which would mean an increased American military presence on the island and a green light for US imperialism to exploit its untapped natural resources.
The environmental consequences would be catastrophic, not only for Greenland’s wilderness and its people but for the planet as a whole. It is doubtful that this is the future Greenlanders truly want. As revolutionary socialists, we firmly oppose any form of union or association with a capitalist United States.
Unfortunately, the statements of all of Greenland’s parliamentary parties point in this direction, including the official statement from Greenland’s government in January which declared, “Greenland looks forward to discussing the possibilities for business cooperation, the development of Greenland’s mineral sector, including critical minerals and other relevant areas with the US.”
The only way Greenland can be truly independent is to make a decisive break with capitalism and establish a socialist society.
However, for this to be sustainable, similar developments would be urgently needed in several other countries, such as the US, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, which could then unite in a voluntary socialist federation.
This would provide international solidarity and support to Greenland free from any strings attached, unencumbered by the economic and political pressures of imperialism. This is why the future of Greenland is closely tied to the struggle for socialism throughout the region and globally.
WE SAY:
- Hands off Greenland! The labour movement globally, as well as movements fighting racism and other forms of oppression, colonialism and ecocide, must protest against any attempts to annex Greenland by the US or any other imperialist power, whether by military force, economic pressure or “real estate transaction”.
- For full political and economic independence for Greenland
- For the establishment of an independent socialist republic based on workers’ democracy and the empowerment of indigenous communities
- For the nationalization of large companies in key industries (fishing, mining, energy) under democratic workers’ control and management to ensure Greenland’s wealth benefits its people.
- No to imperialist plunder of Greenland’s natural resources. For the nationalization of natural resources without compensation. Seize any mining projects from foreign and private capitalists. Oppose rare earth projects and oil drilling.
- For a democratically planned economy to prevent imperialist superpowers from looting Greenland’s resources and to ensure environmental protection .
- For the full restitution for historical colonial crimes, including forced relocations and cultural repression. Return of all stolen lands. Investment in indigenous education, language revitalization, and self-governing structures under democratic workers’ and community control.
- For socialist planning for housing, health, and education. Build high-quality, free housing for all who need it, while supporting and respecting the Inuit way of life. Create a universal, public healthcare system free from private interests. Implement a socialist education system centred on Inuit culture and history.
- For a break from imperialist trade and military alliances. Expel all Danish and NATO military forces from Greenland’s territory. Refuse to allow Greenland’s land or waters to be used for US or NATO bases.
- For a Socialist Federation of the Arctic. Socialist movements in Iceland, Northern Canada, Sàpmi, and indigenous Siberian regions to unite in a revolutionary front. For an Arctic Socialist Federation to challenge imperialist and capitalist domination of the North.
Greenland’s socialist revolution must connect to global struggles against capitalism and imperialism to fight for a World Socialist Federation.