In the face of American aggression, where is the Norwegian and Nordic solidarity?

Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland has held elections and the social liberal Demokraatit emerged as the landslide winner. Now it is the Nordic countries that must make their choice:

Should the Nordic countries continue their still-colonial stance, where Kalaallit Nunaat is treated as a Danish affair? Or should we actively go out and show solidarity, be allies and equal partners, now that this country is being threatened by President Trump's expansionist ambitions?

A proposal to buy or otherwise acquire 'Greenland' and to name it 'Red, White and Blue Land' was presented to the US Congress in February. On this matter, there has been noticeable silence from the Nordic countries. If it were Sweden or the US that was threatened, one might ask, would the passivity be just as great?

Not Nordic enough?

Greenland or Kalaallit Nunaat, which is the country's Inuit name, is a self-governing, autonomous territory in the Danish Commonwealth. It is therefore considered part of the Nordic community. Geographically, however, it is part of North America, and of the circumpolar Inuit Nunaat – the land of the Inuit.

Is the country not Nordic enough to deserve clear support from the Nordic countries? Or conversely, if the Nordic countries do not stand up for Kalaallit Nunaat now, why would the newly elected government choose to continue a close relationship with us – a relationship that for geopolitical, resource-, and economic reasons can be expected to be very important for both the Nordic countries and Europe?

Not 'if', but 'how'

President Trump wants to 'acquire' Kalaallit Nunaat, an aggression that in February caused alarm bells to ring not only in Kalaallit Nunaat, but throughout Europe. In the Senate and Congress, there is talk of 'the acquisition', which can mean both to buy and to take by force.

Trump would prefer to buy Kalaallit Nunaat, and promised the day before the election to make all Greenlanders 'rich', but he will not reject the use of military force either. Where we usually talk about 'carrot and stick' in politics, it seems that Trump has introduced his own order of 'tanks and caviar'; a threat and a circus, a policy of brutality.

Is Trump about to move from 'Make America Great Again' to dreaming of a 'Great America' – an expanding state that eats from its surroundings? Or is he 'just' pushing, as in Ukraine, for exclusive access to mines and natural resources?

One question is timely in any case: Where is the support that shows that the Nordic countries stand shoulder-to-shoulder when superior force is sought to be used?

Nordic colonialism

Nordic colonialism goes back several centuries. It involves Sápmi, which spans Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, and it involves Kalaallit Nunaat, which was colonised by Denmark-Norway in 1721.

When the Danish-Norwegian union ended in 1814, 'Greenland' was lost to Norway and Denmark remained its sole colonial power.

The years after World War II were marked in Kalaallit Nunaat by harsh assimilation policies. Just as the Sámi were subjected to Norwegianisation, the Inuit were subjected to 'Danification.'

Population concentration and forced relocations, the insertion of IUDs in children and women without consent, the removal and adoption of children, economic discrimination and exploitation were among the tools used by the Danish state to control the population. Across Sápmi, similar measures were used by Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

The assimilation policy has been accompanied by arguments about 'the best intentions,' but Nordic colonialism was also permeated with racism and white privilege. Is this also what underpins the absent Nordic solidarity today? Is Kalaallit Nunaat 'our' ally and part of a Nordic 'us' only when it suits majority Nordic interests?

On the Danish public broadcaster DR, racist statements against Kalaallit/Greenlanders have been given wide latitude in recent weeks, with an alleged satire program using 'black face' aesthetics as one of its means. The program has been reported to the police, but official Denmark has not distanced itself from it. On social media, the fronts are sharpening and polarisation increasing, at a time when our actions should rather lead to strengthened ties.

No Nordic heads of state in Nuuk

After centuries of colonialism and abuse, we need reconciliation. Leaving Kalaallit Nunaat alone in the face of an aggressive superpower is not a step in such a direction.

Solidarity is not Norway, Sweden, or Finland, least of all Denmark, speaking out on behalf of Kalaallit Nunaat. It is not our place to say what Trump can or cannot get, or what Kalaallit Nunaat’s response to American aggression should be. Instead, the Nordic heads of state should see it as their duty to ask:

What does Nordic solidarity look like to you at this moment? What, within our power, would you ask us to do? How can we move forward, together, as equal partners?

The image of Trump's plane landing at Nuuk Airport should be replaced with images of Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, and Åland political leaders.

(A Norwegian version of the think piece was first published in Dagsavisen)