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Harry Tuttle
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of the Hoople Heads
Mar 2003
time: 00:22
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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...us_040926232052
quote:
Greenland looks to US in quest for independence
NUUK, Greenland (AFP) - After 25 years of internal autonomy, the icy Danish territory of Greenland has set its sights on true independence, hoping that talks on the modernization of a US military base on the island may have helped nudge it closer to its goal.
Greenland, which became a Danish colony in 1721, aspires to "before the 300th anniversary of the colonialization ... be capable of becoming master of its own destiny," deputy prime minister of Greenland Josef Motzfeldt told AFP.
Greenlanders have long felt that along with Denmark, the US, with its military base at Thule in the northwestern part of the island, has too much say over their internal affairs.
Following an agreement on the modernization of the base last month however, Greenlanders have begun seeing the superpower across the Atlantic as a potential ally in their quest for self-determination.
"It was (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell (news - web sites) who demanded that we sit at the negotiating table during the (ongoing) overhaul of the 1951 Danish-American Defense Treaty concerning Greenland, to the great surprise of Denmark's foreign minister," Motzfeldt said.
"Washington recognizes us as an equal partner, which is not yet the case with Denmark," he added, pointing out that US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) after taking power in 2001 had even sent a letter requesting closer cooperation on the Thule base and other issues directly to Greenland's local government, and not, as tradition dictates, through Copenhagen.
While Copenhagen has resisted allowing Greenland full independence, it has agreed to an "autonomy commission", made up of both Danish and local politicians, which is currently looking into the thorny issue of handing over sovereignty to the island when it comes to justice, foreign policy, and its mineral and oil resource management.
That could come in handy, since authorities on the island hope the recent discovery of valuable minerals like gold and diamonds, along with promethean promises of oil exploration and rising tourism, will help propel the territory into economic independence and thereby also boost its chances for political self-determination.
Authorities on the island are now preparing to take a decisive -- and painful -- step on their road to independence: squeezing out from under "Big Brother" and saying adios to the approximately three billion kroner (494 million dollars, 403 million euros), or 57 percent of Greenland's total 2005 budget, still paid for by Copenhagen.
"That is our ultimate objective. It will call for hard work, sweat and tears, but the Greenlanders are ready, I think, to pay the price. We want to be recognized as an independent nation, as a sovereign people to be respected," Motzfeldt said.
Over the past quarter century, Greenland with its 57,000 inhabitants, 50,000 of whom are indigenous Inuits, has undergone drastic change, transforming from a community of hunters and fishermen to a modern industrialized society.
But while the quick transformation has brought with it positive development and the island's very own university, Greenland has also increasingly been plagued by social problems like alcoholism, domestic abuse, other violence and suicide.
It is of course uncertain whether true independence would help Greenland shake off its problems, and many of the island's inhabitants worry that bowing too low to US requests on the Thule base, which served as a key listening post during the Cold War, and which is now considered an essential part of Washington's plans for a controversial missile defense program, could cause additional headaches.
"But we haven't said 'yes' to the use (of modernized radar installations) in this missile defense system, which would call for new negotiations," Motzfeldt told AFP.
Greenland, he insisted, does not want to find itself against its will in the midst of new global tensions.
The question is whether the island can afford to go against the US on this issue, and thus risk losing the strongest ally it has in its quest for independence.
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Greenland, a possession with a population slightly larger than my suburb. I personally think they might be biting off more than they can chew, but hey, more power to 'em.
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Guynemer
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That was to be an independant nation?
As in free ****ing gratis?
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Albert Speer
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Puerile Polemic
Mar 1999
time: 00:22
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57,000 people, 50,000 of which are eskimos, probably living in igloos... why would they want independence? what's the point?
militant eskimos starting a revolution...
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Albert Speer
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Puerile Polemic
Mar 1999
time: 00:22
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there are more people in a one mile radius from me than on that whole massive island the size of Argentina...
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Albert Speer
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Puerile Polemic
Mar 1999
time: 00:22
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i never understood something about newfoundland... it was discovered by the a joint effort of Porguese, Germans, and Danes in 1472... why was Columbus credited for the discovery of America when they did it two decades earlier? and why didn't at least the portuguese come back and explore more if they found newfoundland in 1472?
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Albert Speer
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Puerile Polemic
Mar 1999
time: 00:22
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Didrik Pining, Hans Pothorst, and Joao Vaz Corte-Real discovered Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Labrador in 1472-73. It was a joint German-Danish-Portuguese expedition attempting to find what would later be called the north-west passage to Asia. weren't fishermen... they were actively discovering...
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Albert Speer
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Puerile Polemic
Mar 1999
time: 00:22
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they were actively discovering... the area was known by fishermen for some time, as you said. Corte-Real, et al were attempting to find Asia beyond it.
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Albert Speer
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Puerile Polemic
Mar 1999
time: 00:22
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http://www.newfoundland.com/content/about/history.html
quote:
There were a few voyages recorded to Newfoundland during the next 500 years. The Vikings have since deserted their settlements and there were not many records of new settlements. Near the end of the 15th century, Europeans began to search for a Northwest route to Asia and their journeys repeatedly touched onto Newfoundland. Joćo Vaz Corte Real of Portugal sailed to Newfoundland with two Scandinavians, Dietrich Pining and Hans Pothorst in 1472. There were no subsequent voyages from Portugal. |
the thing that bothers me is why there wasn't a follow up voyage... Corte-Real, Pining, and Pothorst would be household names if they came back... way to be footnotes in history.
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27-09-2004 06:59
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