Greenland, Ho!

Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go: I do not support any change in Greenland’s status that involves the use of force by non-Greenlanders. But I do think international discussion about Greenland’s future could be beneficial for all parties concerned. Why?

The strategic importance of Greenland cannot be overstated. From raw materials to missile defenses to climate control to shipping lanes, Greenland is where it’s at! Currently a colony of Denmark, Greenland is home to a vibrant and growing Independence movement.

In recent decades, nation building has had mixed results. Compare Slovakia with the Catalan Republic. Greenland is a source of pride in Denmark…and rightly so. But Danes are fiercely democratic…and pragmatic, and Greenland is a huge financial drain. My sense is that Greenland will eventually achieve nationhood. 

That’s ok, so long as it does not fall under the influence of a hostile foreign power. The US and the other NATO countries have an existential security interest in Greenland. I am proposing, reluctantly, a kind of North Atlantic Monroe Doctrine, enforced by NATO, not the US alone. Countries within the Security Zone would be completely free and independent provided they did not act in a way that threatens global security. Gobbledygook, I know.

So this is the basic value proposition but, as is often the case, the real action is taking place in the wings. The population of Greenland is just 55,000. Yet it would presumably join the US as an equal partner, a state with 2 senators, one representative, and three electors (electoral votes)…same as Wyoming with a population of 275,000. 

Under this formula, Greenlanders would have 20 times as much political power, per capita, as, say, residents of Montana (the largest state with just 3 electoral votes). Perhaps my friends who are moving to PA for the 2028 election cycle would be better off exploring Nuuk; I understand midsummer is gorgeous there.

As a US state, Greenland would attract enormous investment capital into industries ranging from climate protection to mining to eco-tourism. Labor is in extremely short supply; wages will soar! $50/hr. minimum wage?

Plus, as in certain middle eastern countries, citizens of Greenland could be allowed to participate, individually and directly, in revenue derived from the development and commercialization of natural resources.

The future of Greenland will ultimately be determined by Greenlanders alone; but the offer of statehood may be too lucrative for anyone to refuse. But so much for the Greelanders; how about me? I’m stuck here in the ‘Lower 50’; what’s in this for me? 

U 4 real? I’m the biggest winner of all. My country adds a state with a population that is 80% non-white – Native American Inuit to be precise. A majority of the residents speak a primary language that is not even in the Indo-European family. What we could learn about different ways of seeing the world! How much would our political discourse be enriched by such diversity of perspective!

Last but perhaps not least, there’s Greenland’s flag, hopefully soon to be its US state flag; it’s a gorgeous work of contemporary art/design. It was intended to capture Greenland’s rugged natural beauty in a design clearly influenced by the island’s Native American (Inuit) culture. It succeeds! 

Immediately, you have a sense that no nation in the world could sport such a flag…except Greenland! But the focus of this image is not solely on what is or on what has been; it is also a window onto Greenland’s future. 

A previous contributor to this magazine, John O’Brien, has suggested that the lack of a Viking Cross, the symbol of Scandinavia, on Greenland’s flag suggests a people ready to explore a new historical identity.

And now…a step too far? I read the flag’s figure as a Mobius Strip, a 2 dimensional mathematical object embedded in 3 spatial dimensions. A Mobius Strip is a closed loop – with a twist, literally. 

A normal closed loop is a paradigm of Cartesian dualism. Like a Burger King crown, the two sides of the loop are distinct. Start on one side and go around. 360° later, you’re back where you began. If you choose a lane on the obverse side, you can go around as many times as you wish: you will never touch any point on the reverse side. A similar result if you choose a point on the reverse side to begin your journey.

With a Mobius Strip, on the other hand, it makes no difference where you begin or which ‘side’ you choose: in the course of a full circus, you will visit every point on both sides of the loop. However, you will need to traverse 720° (vs. our usual 360°) to get back to “Go”. In a nutshell the Mobius Twist marks the transition from 19th century mechanistic dualism to 21st century organic monism. As such, it adds a third leg to Greenland’s identity – the future is added to its Inuit and Viking heritage.

So, Mr. Trump 47, make America ever greater, welcome Greenland 51. 

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