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The Greenland Plot: A Political Fiction's Nightmare
As a writer of political fiction, I've witnessed the absurdity of reality mirroring my creations. Take, for instance, the story of Donald Trump's obsession with Greenland. If I'd pitched this idea for my TV series, Borgen, I'd have been laughed out of the room. But now, we're living the sinister drama it inspired.
In the first season of Borgen, we dedicated an episode to Greenland in 2010, and it became the main setting in the fourth season in 2022. Our focus on this former Danish colony and its Indigenous people was driven by the emotional colonial tale of Denmark and Greenland. The modern history of this complex relationship began in 1721 when the priest Hans Egede, with Danish King Frederik IV's permission, founded a mission and trading station in southern Greenland. The Indigenous Inuit people were either voluntarily or forcibly welcomed into the realm of Christ.
Egede remains a controversial figure in Greenland, and for good reason. A statue of him outside Nuuk, the island's capital, was vandalized in 2020 with the slogan "Decolonize."
Greenland was formally made an equal part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. However, during World War II, Greenland became a strategic hotspot for the US, which needed a place to refuel bombers en route to Europe. Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany, and the Danish ambassador to the US, Henrik Kauffmann, signed an agreement on behalf of the Danish king, granting the Americans military access to Greenland. In 1951, during the Cold War, the US secured a treaty allowing them to build as many bases in Greenland as they wanted.
Thule Airbase, later renamed Pituffik Space Base, was built in a harsh northern area of Greenland, displacing the Inuit settlement of Uummannaq. The Inuit were given an ultimatum: move immediately or be forcibly relocated.
Thule Airbase posed challenges for the US-Danish-Greenlandic relationship. Denmark would not allow nuclear weapons on Danish soil but pragmatically decided to ignore the truth about the B-52s' nuclear status. This ended in 1968 when a B-52 crash near Thule Airbase resulted in four nuclear bombs rolling out on the ice, becoming a scandal in the US-Danish-Greenlandic relationship.
Greenland gained home rule in 1979, and in 2009, the Danish parliament passed the Act on Greenland Self-Government, acknowledging Greenland's autonomy and its people's right to decide their fate. This law inspired the final season of Borgen, where a huge oil find near Ilulissat, a popular tourist site, becomes a geopolitical nightmare for Denmark's foreign minister, Birgitte Nyborg.
The oil company behind the discovery is initially believed to be Canadian but turns out to be Russian, and later, Chinese. The US considers such an oil find critical infrastructure, and its Chinese ownership would be highly critical. Denmark faces a difficult position, demanding Greenland comply while following US orders, reopening colonial wounds.
The Trump administration's absurdity has overtaken our dramatic plot. If I'd suggested a storyline involving an American president obsessed with owning Greenland, I'd have been laughed out of pitching sessions. Now, we're living this nightmare. Trump's rants at Davos didn't make us feel safer.
It's bizarre how accustomed we've become to a US president who lies, distorts facts, and ignores history. Trump claimed Europeans benefit from NATO and doubted aid from the US. Yet, the only country to invoke NATO's Article 5 after 9/11 was the US, with Europe responding swiftly. Denmark, along with the UK and other NATO allies, sent troops to Afghanistan, losing more soldiers per head than any other country.
In Greenland, people fear the madness from the White House, as do the Danes. However, this situation has united the Danish and Greenlandic people more than ever. Danes support Greenlanders' right to self-determination.
In Davos, Trump ruled out military action in Greenland and called off his tariff threats, reportedly renegotiating the 1951 treaty between the US and Denmark. The involvement of Greenland and Denmark in these negotiations is questionable, reminding me of Trump's meeting with Putin without inviting Zelenskyy. This theatrics may be part of Trump's "art of the deal," but it could also be a sinister scheme, with Europe's defense of Ukraine at stake.
Adam Price, a Danish screenwriter and executive producer of Borgen, hopes this doesn't become a reality.
