US VP Vance Meets Greenland, Forgets History of Indigenous Land Grabs
AP breathlessly reports that Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen insisted the island is 'not for sale,' directly contradicting President Trump's insistence on owning it, even if it means 'taking the island by force.' One might reasonably wonder if VP Vance's visit is simply a polite diplomatic prelude to a rather less polite acquisition strategy. After all, the US has historical
precedent for such benevolent transactions, from the Louisiana Purchase—where Indigenous consent was notably absent—to the 'acquisition' of Hawaii through a coup. It seems 'consent' is a fluid concept when strategic military geography is involved. Greenlandic student Tuuta Mikaelsen advises American officials to 'back off.' A quaint notion, considering US foreign policy often views such sentiments
as merely a preliminary negotiation tactic. The idea that a world power would simply 'back off' when a resource-rich, strategically located territory is involved—especially one that could 'trigger the end of NATO'—is heartwarming, but perhaps a bit naive. History, after all, rarely asks for the seller’s permission.