Duncan Bowie on Arctic geopolitics
So You Want to Own Greenland? by Elizabeth Buchanan published by Hurst
This book was published last September, before Donald Trump’s recent statements. The future of Greenland has become a critical geopolitical issue to the extent that Trump’s insistence that the US must own Greenland (an autonomous nation within the Kingdom of Denmark, which is a NATO member) threatens the survival of NATO. This is serious. The book, by an Australian strategic policy academic, however, is, to quote one endorser, cheeky and irreverent. This is extremely annoying and distracts from the serious analysis in the study. The introductory paragraphs refer to Ed Sheeran, Carrie Bradshaw (of Sex in the City) and Perter Parker (otherwise known as Spiderman) while there are later references to John Lennon, Ernest Hemingway and various Hollywood films. The book is littered with asides which seem to be attempts to lighten the reading, like explaining where Greenland is on a map – the big island in the middle! This makes you wonder who the book is aimed at and the wisdom of Hurst’s editor in agreeing to publication in this form.
Trying to put aside these repeated aggravations, the book has important content – on the political history of Greenland, its relationship with Denmark as it has moved from colony to (semi-) autonomous territory, the role of the US in the Second World War (when Denmark was under German occupation), previous attempts by the US to buy the territory – the US bought Alaska from Russia and then some of the Virgin Islands from Denmark, the establishment of American military and scientific bases and increasing interests in mining precious metals (also by China). Buchanan considers the various options for Greenland as Greenlanders still seek fuller independence, but remain dependent on a subsidy from Denmark, which comprises half their budget. The offer of a higher subsidy from the US might be tempting.
Buchanan discounts the possibility of military intervention by the US, although had the book been written now, Buchanan might be more sanguine and perhaps treat the issue as less of a joke.