Greenland’s Arctic Paths to Independence

This volume examines Greenland’s challenging paths towards independence and explores the fundamental tension between Greenland’s aspirations for sovereignty and the geopolitical realities of Arctic strategic competition. The book provides a comprehensive framework for understanding Greenland’s strategic options through detailed examination of its socio-economic, foreign, security, and defence policy, the Kingdom–Greenland relationship, and external pressures and offers from major powers. It analyses how Greenland can maintain external resilience while pursuing greater autonomy in foreign policy, addressing the conflicting goals that arise when domestic independence
processes intersect with international security concerns. Drawing on recent geopolitical developments—including renewed U.S. interest in acquiring the territory and remilitarisation of the Arctic—the analysis demonstrates how gradual economic diversification and strategic partnerships offer more sustainable paths than hasty independence or resource extraction dependency. The book reveals the mutual interdependence between Denmark and Greenland in protecting sovereignty against great power influence, while critically examining whether Greenland’s inclusive foreign policy vision (“nothing about us without us”) can be implemented without adequate resources.

Essential reading for scholars and policymakers working on Arctic governance, sovereignty studies, and small state diplomacy, this book will appeal to researchers in international relations, political science, Indigenous governance, and Arctic studies. It provides crucial insights for understanding how sub-state territories navigate independence aspirations within complex geopolitical environments.