By Joe Udo
(CONVERSEER) – Everyone is talking about Greenland, Trump and Denmark.
But almost no one is actually explaining what’s really going on.
Here is how I explained it to my 10-year-old nephew:
Greenland looks like a giant frozen island above Canada. Most people think it’s just ice and snow.
But Greenland is one of the most powerful pieces of land on Earth.
And powerful nations have been circling it for over 1,000 years.
Let’s start from the true beginning.
Thousands of years ago, Inuit ancestors migrated from Arctic Canada and settled Greenland. They built culture, language and survival in one of the harshest environments on Earth.
So Greenland was never empty land. It already belonged to a people long before Europe arrived.
Then came the Vikings.
Around 982 AD, Erik the Red sailed from Iceland and reached Greenland. He named it “Greenland” to attract settlers. Norse communities formed along the southwest coast.
These settlers later became politically tied to Norway. In 1261 they formally accepted the Norwegian king as their ruler.
So Greenland became part of Norway’s territories.
Then something mysterious happened.
By the 1400s the Norse settlements vanished. Abandoned farms. Empty churches. Only Inuit communities remained.
Europe lost contact with Greenland for centuries.
Now comes the royal twist most people never hear about.
In 1380 Norway and Denmark were united under one crown through inheritance. One king ruled both countries. Denmark became the dominant power and controlled Norway’s overseas territories, including Greenland.
Fast forward to 1814 after the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark was forced to give Norway to Sweden under the Treaty of Kiel.
But Denmark negotiated to keep Norway’s overseas lands.
That’s how Greenland became Danish. Not by discovery. Not by conquest. By European treaty politics.
And no one asked the people living there.
In the 1700s Denmark returned searching for lost Viking descendants. They found Inuit communities instead and restarted colonisation, officially claiming Greenland as a Danish colony.
Then World War II changed everything again.
Germany occupied Denmark.
The United States stepped in to defend Greenland so Nazis couldn’t use it as a northern military base.
That’s when America realised Greenland’s real value.
Look at the globe from the top.
The shortest path between Russia and North America crosses Greenland.
Greenland became America’s Arctic defense shield.
In 1946 the US secretly offered Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland. ($100 in 1946 = $2B in 2026). Denmark refused. But the US still kept a massive military base there (now Pituffik Space Base).
So America gained strategic control without ownership.
Greenland later pushed for autonomy. 1979 Home Rule. 2009 Self Government.
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Today Greenland controls its internal affairs. Denmark still controls defense and foreign policy. Greenland can legally vote for independence in the future.
Population – 56,000
Landmass – (2.1M KM2) 9 times the size of the UK
Now here’s why everything is louder again in 2026.
Greenland is not just ice.
It controls Arctic military routes.
It sits on rare earth minerals critical for AI, energy and defense. It opens new shipping lanes as climate change melts the Arctic. It is one of the last untouched strategic territories left on Earth.
Russia and China are expanding Arctic influence. The US sees Greenland as the key checkpoint to block them.
Trump didn’t randomly want Greenland. He wants ownership of a location that protects military dominance and future resources.
But Denmark refuses for deeper reasons.
Greenland is Danish territory and protected under NATO. Any forced US move without Denmark’s approval would legally be treated like an attack on NATO land. Greenland’s people reject becoming American. Selling would violate international norms and destroy Denmark’s credibility. And Denmark already allows US military access without giving up sovereignty.
And here is the hardest geopolitical lesson hidden inside everything.
There are no permanent friends in global politics. Only permanent interests.
The US and Denmark are NATO allies. Yet the US is pressuring Denmark for Greenland. At the same time Trump has threatened to weaken or withdraw from NATO itself.
Alliances last only while interests align. Yesterday’s partner can become today’s pressure point. Today’s ally can become tomorrow’s bargaining chip.
Greenland isn’t just a frozen island.
It’s proof that in geopolitics, power always comes before friendship.
