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Greenland’s geopolitical reality and its political-economic consequences
Jens Kaalhauge Nielsen
Danish Institute of International Affairs
Abstract
The article discusses the concept of the geopolitical, relating it to the socio-economic framework of Greenland's foreign politics. In terms of theory, the article argues that the concept of geopolitics remains relevant and compelling, but that it needs to be placed within a broader context of social analysis. In regard to Greenland, it is obvious that that country’s physical-geographical parameters are an inherent part of the concept of "Greenland" as a place and a symbol. In contrast to other microsocieties, Greenland is a microsociety with a hinterland. However, in reality this vast, amazing hinterland has not provided the country with a sustainable economy. For when one analyzes the Greenlandic economy, behind the distorting effects of the "bloktilskud", one finds that Greenland is a one-dimensional economy based on fish and that neither the raw material sector nor tourism are real assets for the current economy. Officially, Greenlandic foreign politics is conducted by the Danish state. But, increasingly, in practice Greenland is conducting its own foreign affairs, with an expanding spectrum of options and freedom of manoeuvre. Indeed, Greenlandic foreign policy in recent years can easily be deemed a success. However, the article raises questions about how real the Greenland foreign policy success story actually is; because, it is argued, it is probably not possible for an actor to gain real political power with seriously underdeveloped societal and economic sustainability. At the very least, this creates a dilemma when the limits between myth and reality become fuzzy.
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