Cold Autonomy: The Geopolitical Impacts of Possible Greenland Independence

The big island represents an important enclave in the Arctic.

When we think about Greenland, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is one of the world’s most unknown and isolated places. The largest island in the world is also a fascinating destination for geologists, meteorology experts, iceberg or Arctic lovers.

Very few of us think or know about this island’s geopolitical importance regarding national security, natural resources, and more.

According to the portal Foreign Policy, the melting ice will create new commercially valuable sailing routes from the east; Greenland maintains security importance to the United States as the site of its northernmost military base at Thule; finally, Greenland could become a crucial rare-earth mineral source.

Hence, when the invasions and conflicts where world powers are searching for military supremacy are also searching for crucial natural resources that have enormous importance for the present and the future, Greenland is in a critical situation regarding geopolitics and national security.

The Council of Foreign Relations published a fascinating article, “What Would Greenland’s Independence Mean for the Arctic?” that explains how climate change is fueling geopolitical competition in the distant Arctic and how the possible independence of Greenland could play an essential role in the coming years.

I enjoyed reading the article because of everything Greenland represents in geopolitical terms.

In this new episode for my podcast, The Geopolitical Puzzle, I have Joseph Wehmeyer as a guest. The article written by Wehmeyer about Greenland – which is the subject of discussion in this episode -was written during his work as an Editorial Intern at the Council of Foreign Relations.

For this episode, I discussed the following topics with my guest:

• What is Greenland’s political status

• If Greenland becomes independent from Denmark, what would be the consequences for the island?

• How Climate change is accelerating geopolitical competition in the Arctic.

This conversation will be based on research he did for the article and its content; any predictions or input are his views and opinions and not necessarily the views and opinions of the Council of Foreign Relations.

Juan-Carlos Giraldo, Boston, US