The speech that the U.S. vice president gave in Greenland contained an opening for a solution to the crisis, say researchers.
It almost sounded like a singing slap when U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in his speech at the Pituffik Space Base, scolded "Denmark's failure" of Greenland's security.
But if you listened a second time, the speech was actually more of an outstretched hand.
This is the analysis from two security policy researchers.
I must admit that I was positively surprised. It could have been much worse, says Mikkel Runge Olesen, senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).
The same conclusion is reached by Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen, associate professor at the Center for Arctic Security Studies at the Danish Defense Academy.
The speech was full of rhetoric and criticism of Denmark, but I actually think that there was good news for Denmark in it, he says.
Among other things, there were no threats of punitive tariffs or other sanctions against Denmark, and Vice President Vance emphasized several times that it is up to the Greenlanders themselves to decide what they want in the future.
Donald Trump says that too, but he says it in such a strange way, where afterwards he blinks a little and starts talking about how he could also invade Greenland, says Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen.
They have just insulted the Greenlanders over and over again.
Mikkel Runge Olesen, senior researcher, DIIS.
The U.S. now wants to win Greenlandic hearts and minds
The tone suggests that the U.S. government has now adopted the strategy of winning "hearts and minds" in Greenland.
That is, it is about convincing the Greenlanders to voluntarily go with the U.S., says Mikkel Runge Olesen.
And if that is the strategy, Denmark actually has good cards in its hand.
Because in the past three months, the Americans have not been particularly good at winning the hearts and minds of the Greenlanders, he assesses.
They have just insulted the Greenlanders over and over again. To such an extent that a broad political consensus has almost been created in Greenland that people are tired of the Americans, says Mikkel Runge Olesen from DIIS.
Especially when the American politicians during Trump's State of the Union speech laughed at the proposal to take over Greenland, the smiles in Nuuk froze.
They (the Americans, ed.) probably haven't taken the Greenlanders seriously enough, says Mikkel Runge Olesen.
JD Vance did use harsh words when he spoke about Denmark's failure to secure Greenland. But Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen interprets the fact that it filled so much of the speech as an opening to find a compromise on the crisis.
It is actually something that Denmark can do something about, he says.
Denmark does not want to give up Greenland as such, but if it is about perhaps investing a little more in the defense in Greenland, then one could well imagine that they could take matters into their own hands with the Americans,
says Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen from the Centre for Arctic Security Studies at the Danish Defense Academy.
On that point, JD Vance is right in his criticism, he says.
He is right in the sense that Denmark has not invested much in defense in the Arctic for many years, says Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen.
There are a lot of explanations for this. Among other things, the Americans constantly wanted us to go and fight wars with them in Afghanistan and Iraq, he says.
The U.S., on the other hand, has also for many years downgraded its military presence in the Arctic.
Three countries may be able to come to an agreement
Now both the U.S. and Denmark have agreed to invest more in the defense of the Arctic.
Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen therefore advises the governments of Denmark and Greenland to take the U.S.'s outstretched hand and find a win-win-win solution to the crisis.
This could include more investment in Greenland's defense, a new defense agreement with the Americans and new legislation in Greenland that can keep Chinese investments out.
These are very specific areas where the three countries may well be able to come to an agreement and find an agreement. That way, Donald Trump will also get something that he can claim is a big victory, says Jon Rahbek-Clemmensen.
Source: DR.dk (in Danish)
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