At least three people with connections to the President of the USA are reported to have attempted to infiltrate Greenland, according to information to Danmarks Radio.
The individuals, one of whom is often seen together with President Donald Trump, are said to have, among other things, collected stories about forced relocations of Greenlandic children and compiled a list of names of people they want to recruit to a movement with the goal of breaking Greenland away from Denmark.
The approach of these individuals is, according to Martin Breum, remarkable given the conditions that exist in Greenland.
–It is not possible to be anonymous as an American in Greenland. If you, as an English speaker, walk around the streets and seek contact with the population, the entire local community will know who you are within a few days, says Martin Breum, Danish journalist with a focus on the Arctic and Greenland.
–They are small communities and people find out if someone is systematically trying to influence the population, local politicians, or entrepreneurs.
Influential actors
Therefore, he means that the method suggests that it is not a systematic, organized, and strategic gathering of information – like an official intelligence service.
But with that said, it does not have to be about unscrupulous actors, and they can still be influential. They just do not have to be employed by the American intelligence service.
Ever since the President of the USA, Donald Trump, publicly expressed his desire to "take over" Greenland, there has been a great interest in increasing American influence, according to Breum.
It can be about influential people in the business world, lobbyists, influencers, and companies, he says and continues:
There is a great desire among many of these to get Trump's will through. They can be driven by a conviction that it would serve both the USA and Greenland with increased American influence.
"Ongoing political game"
It is difficult to speculate about motives in the individual case, since the names have not been made public, says Breum, but that it is about serious political attempts is beyond doubt.
What happens in Greenland, driven by these people, whoever they are, is a piece in a larger, ongoing political game. And we will continue to see similar attempts in the future.
Maja Steen Danielsson/TT
Facts: Greenland
TT
Greenland has around 56,000 inhabitants, of which around 19,000 live in the capital Nuuk.
The island, which is the world's largest, is an autonomous part of Denmark, but with far-reaching self-government since 1979, which was last extended in 2009. However, the self-government does not include foreign and security policy, or currency policy.
Since Denmark colonized Greenland in the early 18th century, the Danish state has committed abuses against the indigenous people, and Denmark has apologized to Greenland for parts of the injustices.
