Greenland and Denmark: How past scandals weigh on relations
Ines Eisele

Two scandals involving social experiments with children and forced birth control for girls have put a spotlight on Denmark's treatment of Greenlanders. US President Donald Trump seems eager to exploit grievances.

 

Some three years ago, a Danish public radio podcast brought to light one of the darkest chapters in relations between Denmark and Greenland: the so-called IUD scandal. The podcast made public a Danish government program that forced thousands of young women in Greenland, many of them minors, to have intrauterine devices (IUD coils) inserted into their wombs as a form of compulsory birth control in the 1960s and 1970s.

Although Greenland — which is mostly populated by indigenous Inuit — was no longer a Danish colony after 1953, it was nevertheless not independent, but rather a Danish province. It was not until 1979 that Greenland got its own parliament and government. And despite enjoying a certain amount of autonomy, it did not have self-administration laws until 2009. Today, Greenland still belongs to Denmark.

'We never had anything to do with boys'

Denmark's forced contraception policy aimed to put an end to what Copenhagen viewed as excessive numbers of children born out of wedlock in Greenland as well as slowing overall birthrates on the island. Speaking with DW, Henriette Berthelsen recalls how she and her classmates were sent to public health officers without their parents' knowledge.  

"Lots of girls began crying in the waiting room. We were so young and we never had anything to do with boys. The (IUD) coils that they put in us were big, they were made for grown women. I can still remember the terrible pain."

Berthelsen and other affected women sued the Danish government last year, demanding compensation and an official apology. That is because the forced contraception policy led to health problems and trauma for many of the women caught up in the program.

"We don't get any psychological help from the state. And if we do seek assistance, we have to pay for it ourselves," says Berthelsen.

The IUD scandal, which happened decades ago, has never been resolved and represents just one more burden on an already tense relationship between Greenland and Denmark.

Another scandal, which came to light in the late 1990s, involved a social experiment that began in 1951 and involved 22 children from Greenland. The children, Greenland Inuits between the ages of six and eight, were all removed from their own difficult family situations and given to foster families in Denmark in order to learn to speak Danish and familiarize themselves with Danish culture so as to help "modernize" Greenland when they later returned.

The experiment was a failure. The children were never returned to their parents but instead ended up in orphanages in Greenland. Six of them remained in Denmark, where they were adopted. Many developed psychological problems and half died in early adulthood.

'An arrogant view of Greenland culture'

Both the "experiment children" of the "little Danes" program and the girls affected by the IUD scandal highlight Denmark's dubious approach to Greenland's people and, according to cultural historian Ebbe Volquardsen of the University of Greenland, fit the image of past Danish governments passing policies, "aimed at forcing the Inuit to assimilate as much as possible to a Danish lifestyle."

The idea that Greenland and Denmark shared a common history and culture, and that the lives of Greenlanders must be improved was a key justification for Copenhagen as it argued its case for integrating the island into the Kingdom of Denmark before the United Nations.

"For a long time, the Danish side convinced itself of having the best intentions, claiming the need to help Greenlanders. That arrogant view of Greenland culture runs through the course of history," explains Volquardsen.

To this day, Denmark's actions and the financial dependency of many Greenlanders on subsidies from the tiny European nation have led many to simply view the situation as a continuation of colonial structures. For that reason, a large number of Greenland's 57,000 citizens are calling for true independence.  

 Is a US desire to 'get' Greenland a chance for independence?

US President Donald Trump has recognized that desire and is trying to exploit it. The recently inaugurated leader again began speaking about US claims on the oil and mineral rich island so strategically situated in the geopolitically important Arctic as soon as he took office. Trump insists US possession of Greenland is important not only for US national security but for the world. He first floated the idea of buying the island from Denmark in 2019, during his first term in office.

Better to be part of the US than part of Denmark? Not quite. Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede has openly rejected Trump's claim that Greenland might want to voluntarily become part of the US.

Egede said his country is prepared to deepen ties with Washington but added: "We don't want to be Danes. We don't want to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders."

Nevertheless, Greenland expert Volquardsen says Trump's publicly declared desire to "get" Greenland is helpful in that it has forced Denmark to rethink the way it deals with Greenland's 57,000 citizens. Though, to be fair, it isn't as if Denmark is just now beginning to reconsider its post-colonial ties with Greenland. Discussions about that relationship have gained increasing traction over the past several years, and a reappraisal of events such as the "little Danes" experiment and the IUD scandal have been key in helping move the conversation forward.   

Still, Volquardsen believes that the "ambivalent and thoroughly disquieting situation" that Greenlanders currently find themselves in and which has prompted Denmark to strengthen its military posture in the region, "could also open a window for Greenland to finally push through the changes it has long been demanding."

Gunnar Köhne contributed to this article.

This article was originally published in German and translated by Jon Shelton

https://www.dw.com/en/greenland-and-denmark-how-past-scandals-weigh-on-relations/a-71448548

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

HYPOCRISY ISN’T ONE OF THE SINS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

HENCE ITS POPULARITY IN THE ABRAHAMIC TRADITIONS…

 

It is no secret that Donald Trump has desires to take over Greenland.

A US delegation's planned visit to the Arctic territory this week has put Mr Trump's ambitions back in the spotlight, with Greenland's outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede calling the trip a "provocation".

US Vice-President JD Vance is set to visit the US military base at Pituffik in northern Greenland on Friday. However, an earlier plan for his wife Usha to visit a popular dog-sled race was called off amid local protests.

So, what is it about Greenland that interests Mr Trump?

Here is what we know.

Why does Trump want Greenland so badly?

Greenland sits in one of the most strategically important regions in the world.

On the first day of his second term as president, Mr Trump stated that the US needed control over Greenland for its national interest.

There are two main reasons:

• It's getting easier for ships to sail through Arctic waters between Europe, Russia and North America because ice is melting in the Arctic due to ongoing warming of the Earth's surface and ocean
• Greenland has rich untapped mineral resources and oil and gas, but development has been slow

This week, Mr Trump doubled down on his suggestion that America should take over Greenland.

"I think Greenland is going to be something that maybe is in our future," he said.

Mr Trump iterated that the island was important for US national security. The US president has not clarified how or when he aims to annex it, but he has not ruled out using military or economic power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday local time his government believed Mr Trump was serious about the annexation and that his plans were not "some extravagant talk". 

"We are talking about serious plans on the American side with regard to Greenland. These plans have long-standing historical roots," he told a forum in Murmansk.

Mr Putin also said Russia was prepared to defend its interests in the Arctic if NATO member nations were to use the region as a "springboard for possible conflicts".

Acquiring Greenland could also help the US gain a military upper hand at a time of growing Russian and Chinese interest in the Arctic.

Who owns Greenland?

Denmark owns and runs Greenland as a semi-autonomous territory.

Greenland's colonial history begins with the Norwegian priest Hans Egede, who arrived in 1721 to establish missions in the country. 

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it was redefined as a district of Denmark.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-28/why-trump-wants-greenland-explainer/104937608

 

BUT:

 

US has been plotting to annex Greenland since the 1860s – Putin
The tensions around the island should not be dismissed as the “extravagant talk” of the US administration, according to Russia’s president

 

Washington has long harbored plans to get its hands on Greenland, and the ongoing tensions around the world’s largest island should be taken seriously, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned.

Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk on Thursday, Putin touched upon the ongoing tensions around Greenland, a Danish semi-autonomous territory, and US President Donald Trump’s repeated promises to annex it.

Trump invoked the topic of Greenland once again on Wednesday, claiming that US ownership of the island is needed to “properly defend a large section of this Earth” and would be universally beneficial – including for Denmark.

“We have to have the land because it’s not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth – not just the US – without it. So we have to have it, and I think we will have it,” he said.

Trump’s statements should be taken seriously, Putin warned, pointing out that the US has been harboring plans to annex Greenland for over a century and a half already.

“Everyone knows about the US plans to annex Greenland. You know, this may surprise someone only at first glance. And it is a deep mistake to believe that this is some kind of extravagant talk of the new American administration,” Putin warned.

American plans to seize Greenland date back to 1860, but at the time they did not get Congressional support, the Russian president pointed out.

“Let me remind you that by 1868, the Alaska purchase was being ridiculed in American newspapers. It was called madness, an ‘ice box,’ and ‘the polar bear garden’ of Andrew Johnson, then-US president. And his Greenland proposals failed,” Putin said.

The US, Germany, and Denmark also came close to signing a land-swap deal in 1910, which would have resulted in Greenland being ceded to America, Putin noted. However, the agreement ultimately fell through. 

From the early 19th century until the 1950s, Greenland was under the full control of Denmark. During World War Two, it was occupied by the US after the Scandinavian country itself was captured by Nazi Germany. Currently, the island hosts an American military base and the infrastructure for an early warning system for ballistic missiles. 

In recent decades, the island has grown increasingly autonomous; it was granted home rule in 1979, ultimately receiving the right in 2009 to declare independence if a referendum passes.

https://www.rt.com/russia/614882-us-greenland-annexation-putin/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

The US-led NATO bloc views the Arctic as a “bridgehead” for future conflicts and is actively training troops to operate in the far north, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in Murmansk on Thursday, he stated that Russia would do its best to uphold its national interests and sovereignty in the region.

The number of Russian forces deployed in the Arctic is bound to grow to meet the growing challenges there, Putin said.

“We are, of course, concerned by the fact that NATO countries as a whole are more frequently designating the far north as a bridgehead for possible conflicts, practicing the use of troops in these conditions, including their new recruits from Finland and Sweden,” he declared.

Moscow has been “closely monitoring” the situation in the region, and has taken “an adequate response approach by increasing the combat capabilities of the armed forces and modernizing military infrastructure facilities,” the president explained.

“I would like to emphasize that Russia has never threatened anyone in the Arctic,” he said, adding that Russia will not tolerate any encroachments on its sovereignty and will “reliably protect” its national interests.

Maintaining “peace and stability” in the Arctic is the key to the long-term development of the region, in addition to “improvement of the quality of life of people and preservation of the unique natural environment,” Putin said.

“The stronger our positions are, the more significant the results will be,” he stressed.

Russia’s strong posture in the Arctic gives more opportunities to “launch global international projects”there with the participation of “friendly nations,” and potentially with Western states as well. “Should they, of course, show interest in working together, and I am sure that the time for such projects will definitely come,” the president stated.

https://www.rt.com/russia/614875-arctic-nato-conflict-putin/

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.