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Greenland is back in the headlines, accompanied by a new round of anxiety over its future. Recall, on January 17, nearly a third of Nuuk’s population gathered near the US consulate, carrying placards declaring that Greenland was not for sale. The same day, US president Donald Trump announced tariffs against eight European countries, saying they would remain until an agreement was reached for the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland.

The confrontation had been building for sometime. On 3 January, US forces seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. A day later, Trump declared that the United States “absolutely” needed Greenland. As early as 2019, during his first presidency, Trump had publicly confirmed that he was considering buying the island.

Eight months later, on September 18, Trump announced a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, to be signed in New York next week. He calls it permanent American authority over Greenland’s security. Denmark says it respects its sovereignty and Greenland’s right to decide its own future.

So, what is in the deal, with whom, when and for how long? Did Denmark and Greenland give in, and for what? What does America want from Greenland while Russia, China and India move into the Arctic, new tariffs hit Russia’s oil buyers and Xi Jinping heads to Washington? What is Greenland’s legal position? And what does Trump gain from all this?

What has been announced

The two sides describe the deal very differently. Trump says the US will have permanent authority over its security needs in Greenland. He says hostile powers will not be allowed bases, forces or sensitive investments there without the approval of US, and that US will expand its military presence. Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen says the deal strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic and recognises Danish sovereignty and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. Greenland’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, calls it a gain for the whole Western alliance.

On duration, “permanent” is Trump’s word. An agreement with no end date can still be amended or ended by consent. The 1951 defence agreement, which the new deal builds on, is tied to the North Atlantic Treaty and can be reviewed by agreement. “Permanent” may describe political intent more than legal fact.

Did Denmark and Greenland give in?

However, nothing........

© The Wire