Greenland: The United States and its isolationist path

Written by: Alan Jackson on 12 January 2025

Greenland: Inuit, and not for sale or takeover.   Source: Flickr Commons

With the expansion of counter-hegemonic imperialist powers, Russia and most notably China, America is rapidly on the decline and racing to fascism as it tries to consolidate its position at the top of Imperialist domination especially against its enemies in the same market of exploitation.

On Tuesday, the 7th of January, with less than two weeks before taking office, Donald Trump has gone full mask off once again for American Imperialism in a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. Although this is not the only time Trump has been so honest about his, or rather the ruling class of America’s plan for the world, this press conference was especially isolationist and Imperialist in its rhetoric. 

First off Trump declared military action will be used if necessary to take control of both Greenland and the Panama Canal. While doing this we learnt the one thing Trump knows about ex-president Jimmy Carter, in his words, “The Panama Canal is a disgrace, what took place at the Panama Canal. Jimmy Carter gave it to them (Panama) for $1, and they were supposed to treat us well. I thought it was a terrible thing to do,”. (1.) Along with this Trump also humbly declared that the Gulf of Mexico should be changed to the “Gulf of America”. (2.) it doesn’t end here though. Trump also repeatedly declared that America’s settler-colonial neighbour to the north, Canada, should become the 51st state of the United Settler-Colonial States of America! What a roll. 

Now, let’s try and examine why Trump felt so compelled to go on an hour and a half rant that sounds like America reclaiming ‘Manifest Destiny’ from Germany for itself. While doing this we will also try to explain the historical conditions behind these decisions and the importance of the areas that America has their claws out for.

Greenland’s history, much like Australia’s, is very much a history of settler-colonialism. Greenland and its indigenous population the Inuit, made up of three major indigenous populations, have been subjected to colonialism and neo-colonialism by Denmark for centuries. Blaringly a showcase of this colonialism is that although being an autonomous part of Denmark rated 2nd for the happiest country in the world by the World Population Review (3.), Greenland has the world’s largest suicide rate. (4.) Outside of Denmark due to both its important geographical position and abundant resources Greenland has been at the grabs from keen-handed Imperialists the world over, most notably, America, Russia and China. The United States has had military presence in Greenland since WWII (5.) and has had Trump again earlier in 2019 trying to buy Greenland due to its importance. (6.) America trying to purchase Greenland has been consistent for decades, since even 1946. (7.) This is representative of the fact that Americas imperialist ambitions have been present and loud since long before Trump and that Trump is not the “great man” in Americas Imperialist past and future ambitions, Trump is merely the great puppet of the American capitalist ruling class. 

The importance of Greenland geopolitically, as I mentioned previously, is not one sided and not lost on the minds of the other great Imperialist power, China. Chinas interest has been recent but nonetheless is clear with visits from Chinas Minister of Land and Resources to the purchasing of stock in Greenland Minerals and Energy which develops a Uranium and rare-earth site at Kuannersuisut (Kvanefjeld). (8.) Both the US and China have been competing by proxy through two Australian mining companies most notably Greenland Minerals Australia’s holding company and Ironbark in extracting many valuable resources from Greenland for the competing Imperialist powers. (9.) this case is quite similar to Chinas export of finance capital through Australian mining companies in Africa. 

What is clear is why Greenland is so valued by the Imperialist powers. The problem is that it contains an indigenous population which does not wish to be dominated by Imperialism. The Inuit have not had the right of self-determination of their own country and have had to suffer the subjugation of colonial powers for hundreds of years. America, China and not even Denmark have the right to determine who controls Greenland, this right belongs to Greenland and its masses.

The posturing and absurdity of Donald Trump in his most recent press conference, let alone the history of imperialism and how It continues today, puts a clear cut through the idea and the relied upon verbiage from the ruling class of a rules-based order. There is no rules-based order, there is only Imperialism and its necessity for profit seeking abroad and the slicing up of the globe into outposts of Imperialism. There is only one rule, and it is profit. This is the inevitability of a capitalist society in its dying stages. The only solution is the scientific solution.

The only solution is the struggle of the world’s masses against Imperialism for Socialism and independence. Nothing else can bring humanity forward. 

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