- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmy.ml
- indigenous@hexbear.net
- cross-posted to:
- worldnews@lemmy.ml
- indigenous@hexbear.net
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/7342860
cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/19857
As soon as Donald Trump had finished kidnapping the president of Venezuela, he once again set his sights on Greenland. Trump advisor and fascist ghoul Stephen Miller said on TV that the island should “obviously … be part of the United States.” Channeling Hitler, Miller continued: “We live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.”
Bourgeois Europe was shocked by Trump’s “unbridled imperialism,” in the words of Spiegel magazine. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the UK, and Denmark put out a joint statement: “Greenland belongs to its people,” they recited. “It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide.”
But why is it for Denmark to decide, even before Greenland? Miller has a point when he asks: “By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland?”
Imperialism
Imperialist powers want Greenland as climate change opens up the Arctic to shipping and mining. They don’t even feign interest in the well-being of the indigenous people of Kalaallit Nunaat. Danish colonialism has been particularly brutal, ripping hundreds of babies away from their mothers, while sterilizing thousands of women without their consent. U.S colonialism would be no less devastating, turning the island into a staging ground for World War III.
A supposed leftist like Chris Cutrone, the founder of the odious Platypus Society, claims that the imperialist conquest of Greenland would be a continuation of the American revolution. But the peoples of Puerto Rico or Guam can say whether the U.S. today represents a democratic alternative to European colonialism.
If the U.S. army were to invade Greenland to seize its resources, that would be pure barbarism—but the Danish “claim” is based on violent conquest several centuries earlier. No one has any democratic mandate. Miller stated very openly that Greenland has just 30,000 inhabitants (in reality, 57,000) and he doesn’t care what they think. But EU policy has just as little interest in self-determination.
While EU leaders say Greenland belongs to its people—and to Denmark, apparently—France still denies self-determination to the Kanak people of New Caledonia. Spanish imperialism clings on to Ceuta and Melilla. The UK keeps a navy base on the Malvinas Islands. etc.
The European statement talks about “sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders”—but these principles didn’t stop NATO from attacking Afghanistan, Iraq, or Libya. Denmark’s imperialist military participated in all these crimes.
“Territorial integrity” didn’t apply when the EU backed independence for Kosovo or South Sudan. Many European governments recognize Palestine—but have done nothing at all to defend that state’s sovereignty.
Fellow Imperialists
Trying to appease Trump, Danish politicians are emphasizing they are fellow imperialists. “We’re Already on Your Side,” one social democrat screamed in the direction of the White House. They also want to use Greenland for military buildup, to control the Arctic, and to extract rare earths.
The European Union likes to present itself as a bastion of liberal values and international law. Yet as they continue to support the genocide in Gaza, they are showing the whole world that the “rules-based international order” is, at most, window dressing to cover up their own imperialist interests. Despite all the propaganda about the dangers of Russia and China, NATO remains one of the deadliest organization in the history of humanity.
The only people who should decide on Greenland’s fate are its indigenous population. In the age of growing inner-imperialist tensions, only socialists are defending such an elementary democratic right. Anyone serious about democracy and self-determination needs to call for the break up of NATO and the end of imperialism.
The post Greenland Doesn’t Belong to Denmark Either appeared first on Left Voice.
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You know the Greenlanders and Denmark have been talking about this for years, right?
Even tbr Danish complained, saying they subsidize Greenland so much that they themselves wanted to detach.
Greenlanders have internally talked about separation for years to become a sovereign nation.
The Danish government has even said that they have no problem with it, as long as it’s done legally and democratically.
But out comes the yankies, from left to right, force feeding their opinion down other people’s throat.
I’m tired, boss.
This article begins from commendable principles of self-determination and anti-imperialism, but it reads strange omitting all the context of the long-ongoing polling and talk about Greenlandish independence from Denmark. It doesn’t say a thing about what the people of Greenland, and the indigenous population want.
Well, they have recently had to consider the options.
The prime minister of Greenland said that Greenland will choose Denmark, EU and NATO over the alternative of becoming part of the US.
Greenland is indeed a former colony of Denmark, but has been practising increasing autonomy over the decades.
However, if one asked locals, one might discover that their plan of going independent isn’t complete yet - the population is tiny (equivalent to a small town in Europe or a village in China - only 50 000 people) and Denmark subsidizes the island via regional development programmes.
If Greenland suddenly left Denmark, they would experience a considerable drop in revenue and would be forced to “sell out” some of their resources, or accept a harsh drop in living standards. They would also drop out of mutual defense agreements, and would become easy prey for US or other ambitions - they wouldn’t have the resources for self-defense.
If they were annexed by the US, they would foremost fear massive immigration (loss of language and identity) and loss of public healthcare. Denmark has, since 1987, understood the need for university education in Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) and funds a local university, and has health care which is considerably cheaper and more available.
Thus, it appears that their preference is moving slowly, increasing their independence and building up an economy which might later support an independent country. Until that time, they would almost certainly prefer weak and accommodating overseas “rulers” to life-changing and invasive overseas rulers.
sorry but these “left” opinions backdooring toward tacit agreement with the facists just don’t move me.
might as well cross post greyzone articles next time, the geopolitics analysis would be just as useful as this one /s
Greenland does not want to be independent from Denmark right now. They fully understand that a lot of their governments budget comes from danish support payments and those would obviously go away. They plan to replace them with mineral income, which they have full control over(Greenland that is). However that income is not large enough. That might have actually changed, with the US invasion talk. They clearly do not want that.
With New Caledonia and France the situation is much more complex, but they have the right to an independece referedum and move it all the time.
The worsed one of the lot are the Falklands(Malvinas Islands), which the population of the islands wants to remain British and not Argentine. The islands seem to have been actually uninhabited, when Europeans arrived.
With New Caledonia and France the situation is much more complex, but they have the right to an independece referedum and move it all the time.
That is because right now, French colonizers outnumber the natives and they obviously have no interest in independence from France. That so called “democratic” referendum they have a right to would be deeply flawed.
So you want ethnicly cleanse New Caledonia or do you suggest that ethnic French New Caledonians should be due to their race treated as second class citizens?
only the Kanaks should have a say in Kanaky’s independence. then, up to them to decide what to do with the french colonizers. if the colonizers behave, maybe the Kanaks will be nicer to them than the Haitians were!
To be clear, you think that some people born in a place should have no say in how that place is governed based on what ethnicity they are?
to be clear, you think Indigenous people should not have control over the land that is rightfully theirs? you think the interests of a colonial majority outweigh the needs of the people whom they stole the land from?
cause if so, what the hell are you doing in !landback@slrpnk.net?
I’m on PieFed, it combines posts cross posted to multiple communities into one, I’m not a member of that comm but I am for c/actualsocialism which the author cross posted this to.
I do believe that all people deserve the right to self determination, and while actions should be taken to try and to redress colonial wrongdoings; blood and soil nationalism is bad even when its coming from/in favour of a marginalised group.
Is this a call to just draw the line somewhere else or no line at all?
