An Arctic Intifada: Is Greenland The New Kashmir?
Sovereignty is no pawn for a superpower chessboard, and the imperial scramble for the melting frontier must be denounced.
The frost-bitten silence of the Arctic is being shattered by a rhetoric that feels eerily familiar to those who have watched the Himalayan peaks bleed for decades. As the U.S. prepares to appoint a ‘special envoy’ to Greenland with a mandate to ‘lead the charge’ for annexation, the world must ask: Is Greenland becoming Kashmir 2.0?
Power is often a mask for a deeper predatory hunger, which masquerades as a ‘civilized’ face for an ancient greed. For the 57,000 souls in Greenland, this isn’t a 'national security' debate, but rather a classic colonial nightmare reimagined for the 21st century. The parallels to Kashmir are natural. Just as Kashmir became a ‘bone of contention’ between the nuclear neighbors, Greenland is being victimized for a New ‘Great Game.’
The Cold Rush of the New ‘Great Game’
The original ‘Great Game’ was played in the 19th century across Central Asia, treating nations as squares on a chessboard.Today, the board has shifted to the melting ice of the North. The game is no longer just about silk; it is about ballistic missile defense systems and the mineral wealth hidden beneath the ice.
By framing the Arctic island as a playground that must be filled before a rival arrives, Washington is reviving the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’, which the European powers adopted to justify colonizing the ‘undiscovered’ lands while disregarding the dignity of Indigenous peoples.
The ‘Palestinianization’ of the North
Greenland’s strategic position has turned it into the latest theater for a tug-of-war between American and Russo-Chinese interests. But beneath the frost lies buried a blueprint we have witnessed before: a chilling mimicry of the ‘Palestinianization’ of a sovereign space.
In the corridors of power, Greenland is no longer a nation; it is being reimagined as a northern Gaza Strip—a geography where the right to self-determination is buried under the ‘security needs’ of a neighboring titan. The wolf is perpetually baptized in the holy waters of ‘pre-emptive defense’ against the manufactured 'aggression' of the sheep.
The parallels are existential. In the Levant, the ‘Security Buffer’ fallacy justifies the occupation of hills and the annexation of heights. Today, we see this predatory logic creeping toward the Pole. Washington views the Greenlandic coastline not as a sovereign border, but as a military perimeter where the Inuit are expected to provide ‘strategic depth’ for a superpower’s ego.
The Will of the People vs. The Imperial Map
A vast majority of Greenland’s population desires independence from Denmark. However, they do not wish to become part of the United States.
The people of Greenland are not looking for a new master; they are looking for a door to their own future. Treating a self-governing territory like a real-estate transaction is the height of colonial arrogance.
A Moral Crossroads
If we allow Greenland to be treated as a ‘security necessity,’ we validate the same logic that has kept Kashmir and Palestine in a state of suspended animation for decades. We tell the world that the ‘strategic interests’ of a superpower supersede the democratic will of a local population.
The ‘Kashmirization’ of the Arctic would be a tragedy for the very idea of a post-colonial world. As the ice melts, the world must not allow the cold logic of empire to freeze the aspirations of the Greenlandic people. They have survived the harshest climates on Earth; they should not have to survive the predatory ‘protection’ of a neighbor.
(Mujeeb Jaihoon is a writer exploring faith, culture, and society in the modern Muslim world. More at www.jaihoon.com)
Reference:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/23/we-have-to-have-it-trump-renews-greenland-push-as-denmark-lodges-protest
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-says-hes-appointing-louisiana-gov-jeff-landry-to-serve-as-u-s-special-envoy-to-greenland
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/trump-us-envoy-greenland-jeff-landry-denmark-glbs-2840187-2025-12-23
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