Greenland, a people's dream towards independence

What is your people's dream? Independence, to keep our land and our identity.

Upaluk Poppel, citizen of Greenland. Barcelona Forum, 2004

Since 2002, I've traveled frequently to Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). There, I have family and friends with whom I've shared a deep friendship for many years. And, of course, this country has become, over time, my second home after Barcelona.

I remember that on my first trips, I began to understand that sense of Greenlandic identity, coupled with a strong desire for independence, that Upaluk Poppel speaks of. But this yearning for independence and identity isn't recent; it has deep roots and has been developing and strengthening in this country for a long time.

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I remember that on August 28, 2019, I was in the small town of Kulusuk (on the eastern slope of Kalaallit Nunaat). As I always do, I spent the first few days at the home of my good Greenlandic hunter friend, Justus Utuaq. I will never forget that day, when on the KNR television news (Greenland's public broadcasting channel) we saw together an image of a tweet from the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, published on August 19, which read:

"Denmark is a very special country, Minister Mette Frederiksen, which would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland. I will postpone our planned meeting in two weeks' time... I hope to be able to reschedule it in the future!"

The television network then aired an interview showing the Danish Prime Minister's response to the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq:

"Greenland is not for sale. Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders. I sincerely hope this is not said seriously."

Then I looked at Justus, and from his gaze and his comments, I thought that Greenland had never been for sale and that Trump would suffer the same fate as his predecessors.

The United States' interest

The United States' interest in Greenland is not recent; it dates back to 1860, when the United States first showed genuine interest in purchasing Greenland, under President Andrew Johnson. At that time, both Alaska (which the United States eventually bought from the Russian government for $7.2 million) and Greenland offered a wealth of natural resources and a crucial geostrategic position on transoceanic routes through the Arctic. This first attempt ultimately failed, but interest in the island persisted, to the point that in 1946, US President Harry S. Truman offered the Danish government $100 million in gold bullion to buy Greenland, but Denmark refused.

US military bases

During World War II, and with the German occupation of Denmark in 1940, Greenland became isolated. This led the Danish government to sign an agreement with the United States government to guarantee the island's security and supplies for the duration of the war. Beginning in 1941, the United States began establishing military air bases on the east and west coasts.

After the end of World War II, Denmark continued its foreign policy of cooperation with the United States. Thus, the United States was authorized to build Thule Air Base, also known as Pituffik. Currently, it is the only remaining American military installation in the country and the northernmost, with the United States Space Force operating there.

The current situation and Trump's threats

To understand what might happen in Greenland in the short and long term, we must consider several factors. First, the Greenlandic independence process involves gradually relinquishing an annual government subsidy from the Danish government, amounting to approximately 4 billion DKK (Danish kroner), equivalent to just over 535 million euros. This sense of independence, Greenlandic identity, and belonging to the land, as already mentioned, began to develop two centuries ago. Furthermore, in 2021, the Inuit Ataqatigiit independence party, which until recently governed the country, introduced a law—later passed by the Greenlandic parliament—prohibiting the extraction of uranium, rare earth elements, and radioactive minerals that could harm the environment. Kuannersuit, also known as Kvanefjeld, is the world's second-largest deposit of rare earth oxides. Rare earths are the common name for seventeen naturally occurring chemical elements characterized by similar properties. Their importance lies in their use as components in the manufacture of high-tech consumer products, such as mobile phones, hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and monitors, among others. Kuannersuit is also the sixth-largest uranium deposit on the planet. Substantial deposits of sodium fluoride are also present, and Kvanefjeld is believed to be one of the largest multi-element deposits of its kind in the world.

Finally, it should be noted that the installation of the American air base at Thule (1951) was an agreement between the United States and Denmark, which entailed, in 1953, the expropriation, without any compensation, of 25% of the hunting grounds of the Inughuit (a northern Inuit group), who were displaced to other areas of the district where game was not as plentiful. Furthermore, on January 21, 1968, a B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed between the Thule air base and the village of Moriusaq. Fortunately, there was no global catastrophe, but 98 people, including Danes and Greenlanders, lost their lives cleaning up the contaminated area. In August 2000, it was revealed that one of the hydrogen bombs was still in Greenland. For now, we do not know the full extent of the polluting effects. Toxic and radioactive materials from these bombs. Obviously, if Greenland becomes a sovereign country, the agreements between the United States and Denmark will cease to be binding; Trump will have to renegotiate with the Greenlandic government, and after everything that has happened, there is a possibility that no agreement will be reached and that the Americans will have to leave Smurf Island, and that the traditional territory, which was taken from them almost 75 years ago, will be returned to the Inughuit.

Independence or sale?

When the current President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, took office on January 20, 2025, one of the first things he said was that he wanted to buy Greenland back. A few weeks earlier, the Greenlandic Prime Minister at the time, Múte Bourup Egede, suggested that the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 2025 would be a kind of referendum to ratify or reject the Greenlandic people's desire for independence. In response to Trump's threats, a public opinion poll was conducted among Greenlanders in January 2025: 85% said they did not want to be annexed by the United States, 6% voted in favor, and 9% were undecided. Given this situation, it was decided to bring forward the parliamentary elections to March 11, 2025. Of the six political parties that ran in the elections, only one supported remaining a self-governing entity dependent on Denmark: the center-right, conservative liberal party Atassut. The other parties wanted independence, either in the short or long term, depending on the case. The election results were even more decisive than in 2008, with 91.6% of the population voting for pro-independence parties. Interestingly, the only party, Qulleq, that did not oppose the US president's remarks was excluded from the Inatsisartut coalition. The party that won the parliamentary elections, surprisingly because it had never won before, was Demokraatit. And that is how Jens-Frederik Nielsen became the current Prime Minister of Kalaallit Nunaat. Within a framework of exemplary democracy in the modern world, it was decided to form a coalition government with all the political parties that had won a parliamentary seat. And although an agreement was reached with almost all of them, only one, Naleraq, remained outside the government due to political disagreements, even though the objective was the same: the independence of Greenland. Therefore, it is now the only opposition party in the current Greenlandic government.

Obviously, Greenlanders view Trump's words with suspicion and don't trust the US president's threats at all. However, this nation long ago decided to express its will through the ballot box, and these last elections, held in March, were not only a good example of that, but the result also went against Trump's wishes and interests, as he certainly doesn't want an independent Greenland.

Greenlanders are convinced that sooner or later they will be independent; it is their will, and it's only a matter of time. They are a very united people, with very clear ideas and the conviction that their present and future depend solely on themselves. They are peaceful people, they don't want conflicts with anyone, and they have never had a war in their country.

Greenland and Greenlanders would have no problem establishing cordial and commercial relations with the United States, for the benefit of all, but, of course, they will not accept a sale and, obviously, we'll see if Trump ends up wanting to invade the country, which would also mean attacking a state protected by the European Union.

Nor would Greenlanders be averse to continuing to collaborate with Denmark, although in recent years relations between the two countries have cooled considerably, and there are open wounds that will take time to heal. And obviously, all these relations between these countries will always have to be carried out under the democratic umbrella and with a tone of cordiality and respect, bearing in mind that the will of the Greenlandic people is sovereignty and that they will continue fighting to maintain their land and their identity.

Global warming, the great challenge

Despite this firm commitment to self-determination, global warming, which has long been profoundly affecting Inuit communities and the Arctic ecosystem, poses a major challenge for this Indigenous people and could certainly shape their future. The case of Greenland is a prime example. In April 2023, during a dog sled expedition I led with Inuit hunters on Greenland's east coast, days of torrential rain caused large pools of water to accumulate on the frozen sea, and many dogs drowned.

For years now, the land on the country's west coast has been cultivated: potatoes, carrots, radishes, and even strawberries and tomatoes—something unthinkable in the past. To illustrate, in May 2025, the Greenland ice sheet melted seventeen times faster during a record-breaking heat wave. Obviously, this is one of the main concerns of Greenlanders, who see how this accelerated global warming represents a serious threat to their survival and the maintenance of their traditional way of life.

The human-induced melting of Arctic indigenous communities is a worrying and undeniable reality. And while all this is happening, the country music that Greenlanders, and Trump, love so much will continue to play in their homes, and they will dance with their families, who hope to one day fulfill their people's dream; they also hope that their world will not end up melting like the ice they need.

Francisco Bailón is an anthropologist and polar traveler. He is the author of 'The Inuit, hunters of the Great North (New Publishing House, 2015). This is an excerpt from the article that was published in Spanish in issue 73 of the magazine of The Suitcase of Portbou.