This Is The Real Reason Why Denmark Won’t Sell Greenland
Ever hear a newscast and think there must be more? Or read a story and wondered if there was a cause not listed? Maybe it’s because the reporter didn’t feel it important or just plain didn’t know. From personal experience, you get assigned a story, you’ve got a deadline and you tell what you know. Which often is very little.
When I read last week about an interest from the United States in buying Greenland I believed it was a great idea. It’s a hugely important piece of land from a security standpoint. The United States has had troops on the massive island for decades. Most of the people there are already proficient in English.
If you were a 17-year-old living in isolation, cold and darkness, where would you go for adventure and opportunity?
As for the troops, as King Henry II tells his French counterpart in the Lion in Winter, he already owns a piece of France because it’s occupied by English soldiers. “My troops are all over it,” is a paraphrase.
I did some research on Greenland and discovered the people there no longer want to be vassals of the Danish queen. Click on this link to learn more.
It appears half the leading political parties on the island desire independence. The people also favor instruction in English as a second language versus Danish (Greenlandic is the official language). The Danish government can’t fathom why young Greenlanders don’t come to Copenhagen for studies, which are paid for by the government.
Because the kids would rather come to the United States or Canada. If you were a 17-year-old living in isolation, cold and darkness, where would you go for adventure and opportunity? Tivoli?
As a U.S. territory, travel to the mainland would be easier and the Greenlanders would see a boost in tourism in return.
The Danes need to put aside pride.