Communication | Formidling

Fredag 15. marts åbner Europa-Kommissionen sit længe ventede kontor i Nuuk. Men på trods af EU's vigtighed for Grønland spiller EU en relativt afdæmpet rolle i Grønlands nye udenrigspolitiske strategi.

Research | Forskning - peer review

In February 2024, Greenland published a strategy on foreign, security, and defense policy. The strategy had been eagerly awaited for several years. The novel strategy aims to secure a stable foreign policy direction for Greenland for a decade and signal intents to multiple audiences. The Kingdom of… In February 2024, Greenland published a strategy on foreign, security, and defense policy. The strategy had been eagerly awaited for several years. The novel strategy aims to secure a stable foreign policy direction for Greenland for a decade and signal intents to multiple audiences. The Kingdom of Denmark had to delay their common strategy (or, policy) for the entire realm until the Greenlandic strategy was published, while other Arctic states have been curious on the priorities of the strategy. In this briefing note, we outline the historical and (geo)political context of the strategy. We then move on to discuss some of the main items of the strategy by emphasizing the relative of weight of certain areas over others (US and North American Arctic over EU and Denmark), security and defense policy, and climate policy, and, thirdly, sketch out the implications of these priorities for Greenland’s (geo)political aspirations and diplomatic relations. Læs mere

Communication | Formidling

Pausen i Arktisk Råd er umiddelbart den største politiske udfordring for Grønland, som har signaleret, at et Arktisk Råd uden Rusland er utænkeligt på sigt.

Research | Forskning - peer review

Da Grønland i 2013 blev enig med sydkoreanske myndigheder om assistance til at kortlægge Grønland, var det både en kulmination på mange års dansk nedprioritering af deres myndighedsansvar mht. kortlægningen af Grønland, en udfordring for Rigsfællesskabets suverænitet og et udtryk for den stigende gl… Da Grønland i 2013 blev enig med sydkoreanske myndigheder om assistance til at kortlægge Grønland, var det både en kulmination på mange års dansk nedprioritering af deres myndighedsansvar mht. kortlægningen af Grønland, en udfordring for Rigsfællesskabets suverænitet og et udtryk for den stigende globale interesse for Arktis. Aftalen med Sydkorea materialiserede sig aldrig i konkret kortlægning. I stedet blev et nyt dansk-grønlandsk projekt lanceret få år efter aftalen med Sydkorea. Det nye kortlægningsprojekt af Grønland skulle erstatte de gamle kort, der ikke var opdateret siden før den kolde krigs afslutning. Rapporten her sætter den nye kortlægningsindsats ind i en historisk kontekst, som demonstrerer, hvordan der altid har været skiftende suveræne interesser involveret i kortlægning. Dette går helt tilbage til 1605, hvor de første små topografiske kort fra Grønland tjente til at markere dansk suverænitet. Senere, under 2. Verdenskrig, begyndte USA at kortlægge for at kunne anvende Grønland som en militærstrategisk ressource. I takt med at Grønland selv overtog ansvaret for egen udvikling og efterspurgte bedre kort, gik den danske kortlægning i stå. Siden afslutningen på den kolde krig har danske myndigheder ikke lavet nye kort over Grønland før det igangværende projekt blev lanceret i 2015. Set i det lys, foreslår rapporten her, at den igangværende kortlægning skal ses i kontekst af Grønlands voksende geostrategiske betydning, som samler både amerikanske, grønlandske og danske interesser. Læs mere

Research | Forskning - peer review

The concept of sustainability has taken centre stage in Arctic politics. However, there is little agreement on what ‘sustainable’ means. For different actors (governments, indigenous people, NGOs, etc.) the concept implies different sets of opportunities and precautions. Sustainability, therefore, i… The concept of sustainability has taken centre stage in Arctic politics. However, there is little agreement on what ‘sustainable’ means. For different actors (governments, indigenous people, NGOs, etc.) the concept implies different sets of opportunities and precautions. Sustainability, therefore, is much more a fundamental idea to be further elaborated depending on contexts than a definable term with a specific meaning. The paper argues a research agenda that aims to map and analyse the role of sustainability in political and economic strategies in the Arctic. Sustainability has become a fundamental concept that orders the relationship between the environment (nature) and development (economy), however, in the process rearticulating other concepts such as identity (society) and security (state). Hence, we discuss, first, how sustainability when meeting the Arctic changes its meaning and application from the global ecosphere to a regional environment, and, second, how sustainability is again conceptually transformed when meeting Greenlandic ambitions for postcoloniality. This discussion leads us to outline an agenda for how to study the way in which sustainability works as a political concept. Læs mere