The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns that the right to self-determination of Greenland's indigenous peoples must not be ignored, emphasizing that the Greenlanders should be able to decide on their own future. "In the 21st century, colonial heteronomy should be a thing of the past," the STP stated as a response to US President Donald Trump's idea that the United States could buy the island. "The idea seems ridiculous, but it has a true core: the superpowers are trying to gain access to the raw materials, and there have been initiatives to increase military presence in the Arctic," warned Ulrich Delius, the STP's director, in Göttingen on Friday.

"Given Trump's catastrophic policy in Alaska – due to which the US government is to be seen as partly responsible for environmental degradation, thus depriving the indigenous peoples of their livelihood – we can only hope that the Greenlanders will never come under US administration," Delius stated. Trump's rule is a disaster for Alaska. He decided to allow oil and gas production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge – and, apart from climate change, the exploitation of raw materials and the militarization of the Arctic by the US, Russia, China, and Canada are the greatest threat to the survival of indigenous peoples there.

Further, the human rights organization criticized comparisons to the purchasing of Alaska by the United States in the 19th century. "In recent years, the indigenous inhabitants of Greenland often demanded their right to self-determination – which, so far, is granted in the form of a far-reaching autonomy arrangement with the mother country Denmark. However, many voices in Greenland are calling for an independent state," Delius emphasized.

The human rights organization recalled that, after the Second World War, the United States had tried to buy the island from Denmark – but in vain. The kingdom had refused to sell the island for a price of 100 million US dollars. Especially during the Cold War, Greenland had been of great military importance for the United States. Now, national security is an alleged reason for the new initiative.  However, any land purchase on Greenland is illegal. Because, as in many self-governing indigenous territories, all land belongs to the state, which only grants rights of use.

Header image: Mark Garten via UN Phtos