Greenlanders Are Stuck Between Trump and an Uncomfortable Present
The Arctic island territory wants to be independent, not a US satellite. Trump’s rhetoric is making everything more complicated.
A protester holds a placard with a photo of US President Donald Trump and Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen during a demonstration against the Trump administration.
Photographer: Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/SOPA/Getty Images
At the Greenlandic House in Copenhagen, politics lingers in the silences. Newspapers brought in from Nuuk, the island’s capital, carry stories about current US foreign policy and historic Danish scandals. On a nearby shelf, a magazine cover displays images of Greenlanders protesting against US President Donald Trump, whose oft-repeated desire to take over the vast island has turned it into an international security issue.
Above it all looms a towering painting of an Inuit settlement nestled among mountains, with people dressed in traditional attire. At the center of the scene, a Danish military ship sits anchored in the bay. The ship represents Denmark’s long-standing control over Greenland, a status quo now being openly challenged.