A former separatist leader has changed course, warning of a new security threat tied to US interest. His shift deepens political divisions and public unease.<\/p>\n
NUUK, Greenland \u2013 Aqqaluk Lynge, a long-time leader of the independence movement, has made a radical turn in his views.<\/p>\n
Fifty years ago this Inuit activist and poet, along with like-minded colleagues, founded one of the largest parties pushing for Denmark\u2019s separation, calling the country a colonial regime that must be dismantled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey must be removed. We will no longer pay the price,\u201d he wrote in a 1975 poem. \u201cSuffering cannot be eased by consolation. Repression is what we must fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Greenland faces a risk Lynge calls far more severe: the presidency of the United States under Donald Trump, who has repeatedly hinted at possible control over the island, citing security considerations. According to Lynge, Greenland should remain part of Denmark forever, which he now sees as a protector against American aggression.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel betrayed by the United States,\u201d said the 78-year-old politician during an interview at his home near Nuuk, where from the window you can see ice floes drifting along a squeezed fjord. \u201cWe find ourselves in a very difficult situation, where the only ones who can save us today are Denmark and Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lynge\u2019s stance is not the only phenomenon. Commenting on the rhetoric of the American president, many in Greenland see a shift in political direction similar to what happened in Canada when a wave of patriotic outrage unfolded after Trump\u2019s remarks that the United States could make Canada \u201cits 51st state\u201d \u2013 which ultimately helped unite the opposition in Parliament.<\/p>\n
For decades Greenland\u2019s politics have been weighed down by resentment over Denmark\u2019s colonial past, which controls the island\u2019s foreign policy and defense. In the 1960s and 1970s Denmark dismantled provincial settlements and even imposed birth-control measures, which caused serious trauma to some Inuit communities.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that \u201cGreenland belongs to the people of Greenland\u201d and that their future path should be determined by the island\u2019s population. She stressed that the government apologized for colonial mistakes, including cases involving contraceptives.<\/p>\n
SOME GREENLANDERS ARE PREPARING FOR WAR<\/p>\n
Reorientation of Lynge\u2019s positions reflects a shift in sentiment among many citizens. Among them are businessmen such as Bent Olsvig Jensen, who previously supported boosting US foreign investment, but after Trump\u2019s threats became more cautious.<\/p>\n
As Jensen recalled in a conversation with reporters, he did not believe the United States would actually resort to a military strike, but he told his 21-year-old son about the possibility of armed conflict \u2013 and the son replied that he wanted to buy ammunition in case of an invasion. The father said the conversation moved him to tears: \u201cThat would be the last thing you would want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two other influential Greenlandic entrepreneurs told reporters that they had also stockpiled weapons and ammunition in case of an attack. Many of their acquaintances did the same, according to sources.<\/p>\n
The link to the population\u2019s mental health deteriorated sharply: over the last year the depression rate rose from 7% to 31%, according to a study by the local health institute. The authors stressed that fear of the American threat has affected people\u2019s psyche and well-being.<\/p>\n
DENMARK AND GREENLAND: NEW RHYTHMS OF COOPERATION<\/p>\n
M\u00fate Egede, Greenland\u2019s foreign minister, rejects the idea of revisiting the colonial past as part of a new policy in response to threats. \u201cWe have not forgotten this,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now we need to preserve the right to self-determination, and therefore close cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark must become the basis of future relations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Egede, the longest-serving supporter of Inuit Ataqatigiit \u2013 the party founded by Lynge \u2013 has also evolved: he seeks independence but does not intend to separate from Denmark immediately.<\/p>\n
According to Lynge\u2019s daughter, Pipaluk Lynge, who sits in the coalition government and chairs the Parliament\u2019s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, politics in the country has changed: \u201cWhen the world has changed, we must change our approaches as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lynge himself admits that his views on independence have changed: \u201cHe is not ashamed to admit that his former dreams are no longer feasible.\u201d He recalls how, in childhood, the same stories of colonial oppression shaped his worldview, but changing times push him to rethink his stance.<\/p>\n
While changes have already taken place in Parliament in the coalition, the stance on core issues \u2013 independence and Denmark\u2019s role \u2013 has become more moderate. After the operation against Nicol\u00e1s Maduro in neighboring Venezuela, there is growing belief that the world has changed and that the United States cannot easily exert its influence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone understands: whether you are foreign minister or a city bus driver, the world has changed. When the world changes, your strategy and thinking must also change.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Pipaluk Lynge<\/p>\n
The Danish prime minister met with Greenlandic leaders and expressed support for close collaboration within the Kingdom of Denmark. He noted that responses to challenges must be joint, and close coordination between the Kingdom of Denmark and the autonomous region is the key to stability in the region.<\/p>\n
Following a clash among Greenlandic political forces, Naleraq \u2013 the most radical pro-independence party \u2013 gained significant support, presenting the ongoing question of independence as a response to the Trump crisis. Naleraq\u2019s leader, Pele Broberg, called Denmark a \u201chostage\u201d to this situation, noting that there is a need to move toward immediate progress in relations with Denmark without delay. He stressed that now is the time to act, rather than hide behind those who seek to shield the interests \u201cfrom the rest of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the context of Denmark\u2019s historical trauma, Greenland also confronted the exposure of other sides of the past: the history of coercive birth-control programs and other allied missteps. In 2024 Greenland called the program \u201cgenocide\u201d for its demographic impact, and Denmark apologized and offered compensation. That path toward reconciliation became one of the steps toward a new balance between the two countries.<\/p>\n
In conclusion it can be said that in recent years Greenland\u2019s political landscape has undergone deep changes under the influence of threats from the United States. Although anxiety remains, many people in Greenland see an opportunity to develop self-determination within a framework of close cooperation with Denmark, as well as with other countries within the Kingdom of Denmark. The path to independence seems less direct, but it has not disappeared from the agenda \u2013 now it is being considered from a new angle, where security and the economy merge with the aspiration for self-reliance.<\/p>\n
One thing is clear: the events of the past years are changing not only political directions but also people\u2019s notions of what it means to be part of the kingdom and how to decide their own destinies in the changing geopolitical map of the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A former separatist leader has changed course, warning of a new security threat tied to US interest. His…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":107238,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[52456,54461,4112,6587,57,18253,38,54462],"class_list":["post-107237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-greenland","tag-aqqaluk-lynge","tag-aqqaluk-lynge-greenland-independence-denmark-greenland-arctic-security-us-threats","tag-arctic-security","tag-denmark-greenland","tag-greenland","tag-greenland-independence","tag-news","tag-us-threats"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116743557984847467","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}