The USA's self-image - and the misunderstanding of Greenland

How do they justify the desire to themselves? 

Part of the explanation is of course “American exceptionalism.” In their self-understanding, they are residents of a very special country, like no other, and which has a special role in this world as a beacon of hope and freedom. A country that residents of all other countries openly or in their quiet minds hold as a model.

How do they justify the desire to themselves? 

Therefore, it is completely incomprehensible – or an expression of “fake news” – when it is said that the Greenlanders say that they do not want to be part of the USA. An opinion poll... That simply cannot be true. You are doing the Greenlanders a favor by offering them to become Americans.

As a man I spoke to in the American state of Ohio a few years ago said: “We do remain, I suspect, the envy of the World.” A local politician who was simply expressing what many of his countrymen were thinking and feeling.

American exceptionalism is expressed in many places, not least in presidential speeches. Like when Ronald Reagan in 1988, in his farewell speech, spoke of the United States as “a shining city set on a hill”. An expression taken from the Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament and used by the Puritans who founded the United States, about the city of Boston, which was supposed to be a religious model for all others. Later used by Reagan and several of his presidential colleagues, used as an image that the United States is the light that everyone else in the world follows. Including Greenlanders, although they are not specifically mentioned.

American exceptionalism was evident in the first statement made by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry when he was appointed by President Trump as a “special envoy” for Greenland in December: “We need to make sure Greenland becomes part of the United States. Good for them, good for us,” Landry wrote on X, adding that he will probably have to persuade the population, among other things “by bringing in some of our amazing Cajun food” (the local cuisine of Louisiana). Although Greenlanders probably prefer seal and caribou.

On the same occasion, Landry pointed out that his qualification for dealing with Greenland was that his state had been under the flags of different countries, Spain and France, before Louisiana became part of the United States in 1803: “The flag we ended up with is the best of all flags,” he said. “What we want to do is have a good talk with those people in Greenland.” The implication is that they will then realize that becoming part of the United States is the best thing that could happen to them.

On Facebook, Landry's exceptionalism also emerged: "There is no better flag when it comes to freedom and opportunity than the flag of the United States. I look forward to sharing that message with the Greenlandic people."

Americans see it as a confirmation of their country's special status that refugees are flocking by the millions to the United States, to the "shining city" on the hilltop. They have poured across the border in such numbers that it has become necessary to build a wall and throw many of them out again.

The fact that Europe and other countries with high living standards are also destinations for many refugees does not destroy their perception that the United States is exceptional.

What will happen to the Greenlanders if Trump gets his way and they become part of the United States? Their country is unlikely to become the 51st state of the United States, as some have said. The population – 57,000 – is too small for that. The least populous state in the existing United States is Wyoming with 576,000 inhabitants, 10 times as many as Greenland.