For more than a year, US President Donald Trump has publicly threatened to “take away” Greenland, the world’s largest island, currently semi-autonomous within the Kingdom of Denmark. The threat seems to be intensifying by the hour, and by the time you read this the situation may have gotten even worse.
I am a member of the Danish parliament, Folketing, and the foreign affairs spokesperson for the left-wing Red-Green Alliance, Enhedslisten. Our concerns as a party have never been about the future of continued “Danish rule” in Greenland. 57,000 Greenlanders have a clear right to self-determination, and we support their right to shape their own future and determine their alliances.
As a former colonial power, Denmark carries the burden of historical guilt and responsibility to help Greenlanders develop their own democracy, sustainable economy, and national vision.
Denmark, together with Greenland, must resist external invasion and domination. What is at stake is the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark, and what is being violated is the right to self-determination of the people of Greenland. President Trump is not on the path to liberating Palestinians, Venezuelans, and Greenlanders. He is on the path of self-interest and control.
President Trump’s intervention in Venezuela highlighted his complete disregard for international law and national sovereignty. Silence over such blatant violations is bound to pave the way for the next round of illegal pursuits, driven by the desire of autocratic leaders to conquer other countries.
The bullies of this world have no respect for bootlegging or appeasement. And Trump is a bully. A political leader committed to maintaining a rules-based world order should be given a clear “no” to his actions.
What the world witnessed in Caracas does not bode well for other nations in the superpower’s self-proclaimed sphere of interest. Trump clearly considers both Venezuela and Greenland to be part of his “backyard,” which he seeks to dominate, control, and “run” – because he can.
The United States has no legitimacy or right to occupy another country. The fact that the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro presided over a severe economic crisis and was responsible for widespread poverty, repression, and election fraud does not in any way justify President Trump’s actions. Those who praise and welcome Maduro’s abduction are helping to further undermine the international rules-based order and encouraging Trump and other cynical strongmen, including Greenland, to do the same.
The rules-based world order we once knew was based on containing power through legal means, ensuring the sovereignty of states, and protecting people from state abuse and oppression. If these rules established for peaceful international coexistence are not followed and respected, they become meaningless and have an incalculable impact on peace and stability. But we know that Western countries enforce them quite selectively. Israel’s colonization and genocide of Palestine is a notable example.
Washington’s new National Security Strategy clearly states that the United States has the right to assert its overwhelming political, economic, and military power in the world in general and the Western Hemisphere in particular. At a Jan. 3 Mar-a-Lago press conference, President Trump proudly referred to the “Donroe Doctrine,” outlining a foreign policy approach aimed at protecting American primacy from every conceivable challenge. We and Greenlanders have reason to fear that outcome.
Only dominant, authoritarian powers with imperial ambitions, with a greedy eye on other countries and their resources, will benefit from the kind of world order that is currently evolving before our eyes. These factions want more land to show how big and powerful they are. They take other countries and their natural resources by force. Because they can, and because we allow it.
The result is lawlessness. In a world where the fittest rules, “might is right” and all people in small and medium-sized countries face increasing insecurity.
Greenland, a former colony of Denmark, is now a democratic state with fully legitimate political leadership in the government, Näräckelsuisut, and the parliament, Inatsisartut.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly emphasized that both he and his government do not want the majority of Greenlanders to become U.S. citizens or part of the United States in any way.
“If we had to choose between the United States and Denmark right now, we would choose Denmark,” he said at a press conference in Copenhagen on January 13.
This is not surprising given the fact that the United States does not have universal health care or free higher education like in Greenland. Greenlanders are no doubt also focused on the U.S.’s dismal track record when it comes to the rights and dignity of indigenous peoples, such as Native Americans and Alaskan Inuit.
All this will not stop President Trump from “taking” Greenland through a combination of military, political and economic threats and brutal coercion.
The security situation in Europe and Greenland is far beyond the point where it makes sense to walk on eggshells or pander to Trump. That is why the Kingdom of Denmark, the other Nordic countries, and other countries in Europe that value a rules-based world order will need to reboot their approach and understand the need for strategic autonomy and independence from the United States.
This includes a consistent policy of not procuring US-made weapons, including fighter jets, which unfortunately Denmark bought again in 2025. It also means cutting ties on intelligence cooperation and the development of internet platforms and media that can act independently of the US tech giants, which are now more or less under President Trump’s control. We must protect democracy.
Our Party calls on all progressive forces in Europe and around the world to unite and rally in a common struggle for the right to self-determination and against the imperialist and neo-colonial ambitions of the United States and other powers to reshape the world.
We need to put pressure on political leaders around the world to move away from appeasement and acquiescence with the United States and consistently uphold international law, the United Nations Charter, and the right to self-determination.
This is the struggle of our time.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
