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Comment by adventured | Hacker News Reader

> Sure, today Greenland is not very useful, but what about in 50 years?

Denmark barely controls Greenland today as it is. As with the Self-Government Act, it's most likely that Greenland will continue to gradually shift toward full independence.

If Greenland develops into anything, Denmark won't own or control it. For example if a million people move there over 50 years, perhaps seeking isolation or lower population density vs mainland Europe. It would be its own independent nation, not dissimilar from Iceland. The only way Denmark could hold onto Greenland would be through military action (never going to happen).

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This comment leads me towards a question that I think is ignored in most of the article and the rest of this thread - the Danes' sovereignty notwithstanding, what was the gain / loss to Greenland as an entity as a result of this deal (or lack thereof)?

The island has been beholden to external parties and interests for centuries, seldom actually enjoying more than a modicum of self-determination. I see the autonomy granted them in 1979 (and further powers in 2009) by Denmark as being uncharacteristically benevolent for international standards, and something that would never be realised in a million years under the USA (particularly with their military presence).

I'd understand if Greenlanders never felt much kinship for the Danes, but I'd be hard-pressed to accept they'd feel any more for Americans. And I can't find any source referencing Greenland's sentiment towards this offer of acceding control to a global superpower they'd likely never enjoy independence from. Do we know if Denmark just did them a favour out of altruism here?

The US ceded control of Philippines and the Marshall Islands (and some other Pacific islands).

And retained control of Guam, Puerto Rico, etc.

Thereby proving that the US would never grant a territory autonomy in a million years?

> For example if a million people move there over 50 years, perhaps seeking isolation or lower population density vs mainland Europe.

Or you know, if global warming turns it into a...green land.

I'm not sure who would recognize Greenland if it unilaterally declared independence. EU probably not. It's not like there are human rights violations or anything going on in there, so they kind of lack a serious reason to split.

To me it looks like the only way for this to happen were if Denmark agreed (like Scotland), maybe under international pressure.

Unlike Scotland, Greenland is not part of the EU. The correct way to think of it is not as a part of Denmark but as a separate country under the same queen. Similar to the Dutch Caribbean territories or the British Channel islands.

Greenland voted to leave and become an OCT all Greenlandians are still EU citizens but Greenland is not part of the EC or EU.

EU territories are unot quite complicated often by design as most of the non EC/EU ones are effectively institutionalized and purposeful legal loopholes.

Greenland isn’t one of those cases really it was just financially non viable for them to be a part of the EC.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_member_state_territo...

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