It is one of the world’s most remote corners – but Greenland is playing an increasingly important role in global affairs. In January last year, the island’s 57,000 residents became an object of desire for Donald Trump. ‘I think Greenland we’ll get because it has to do with freedom of the world,’ declared the bombastic President. ‘I think the people want to be with us.’ Six weeks later, the people of Greenland duly gave their reply, crushing their pro-Trump party in an election centred on questions of independence.

Trump has lost control of his war

Rory Stewart isn’t taking Islam seriously

This is why shoplifting is rife in Britain

The ongoing struggle for control of the Arctic motivated Trump’s demands. The British government believes that the Arctic Circle will be ice free each summer by 2040; some experts predict it will be sooner. Melting ice, caused by climate change, will mean new opportunities to access trade, critical minerals and fishing areas. Moscow now boasts more ice cutters than Washington; the Chinese want a new ‘Polar Silk Road.’ In the race for clean energy, Greenland’s rare earth deposits pose a potential gamechanger.

Strategy and commerce are not the only reasons for the new-found focus on Greenland. Tourism numbers have nearly doubled in a decade; the government wants overseas spending to triple by 2035. Cruise ships, increasingly at the upmarket end, are playing a major factor in this boom. Over 76,000 passengers arrived in 2023 – almost twice as many as pre-pandemic arrivals. A growing trend is for ‘expedition’........

© The Spectator