More military in a pacifist country

It is a balancing act on a knife's edge when the Chairman of the Government of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and the rest of the Government of Greenland, make a statement about the joy of having more uniformed military personnel on the roads and streets of Nuuk.

Because Greenland has - apart from the few battles that took place in East Greenland during the Second World War - never been at war. The population is not in favor of war. We are a peace-loving country. We are pacifists!

There is a reason why there is zero tolerance for uranium. Because in addition to being extremely polluting when it is mined, uranium is used, among other things, for nuclear weapons. A weapon that ended World War II with two gigantic explosions. A weapon that the great powers later used for deterrence during the Cold War. At that time, the USA was the biggest hero in the eyes of the West, while the Russians were like the big bad wolf.

The world order has now changed radically. Now we fear what the American president will say today, tomorrow, next week. Everything seems uncertain, and many walk around with fear of what the future will bring.

Therefore, it was a relief to hear and see the rest of the Western world's support. Canada, the Nordic countries, the EU and NATO countries, and not least Denmark and the rest of the Commonwealth. The quickly arranged Arctic military exercise brought several uniformed soldiers from different countries onto Greenlandic soil. In addition, the Danish government - in cooperation with Naalakkersuisut, has ensured that the Armed Forces have an increased presence in Greenland.

And although many of the country's population greatly appreciated seeing friendly soldiers, it also created nervousness among the same and direct criticism from a part of the population. "Greenland does not support war," the biggest critics harass on social media. Politicians and individuals have even stated that the greater military presence in Nuuk makes the capital a bigger military target than it has been so far.

It is therefore extremely positive that the Greenlandic Government and the Danish government have arranged a citizens' meeting where the Greenlandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Motzfeldt and the Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen can face the criticism and uncertainty head on and tough. They need to provide the answers and explanations that citizens may have questions about.

In my opinion, the result is that a part of the population is running around with their assumptions, claims and their own pocket philosophies, which are used to maintain an idea that everything will be fine if we just keep our mouths shut, stay out of Trump's attention and let time take its course.

The problem is that all eyes are on the world's largest island - us. So even though we as a people are opposed to armed conflicts and the like, we have to deal with the reality we live in.

We cannot have flour in our mouths and breathe out at the same time. We cannot expect that the complete demilitarization of Greenland will make the country less important. Greenland is strategically located midway between the American continent and Russia, and is therefore central to the defense of the United States and other NATO countries.

We also can't help but notice that Trump stopped talking about taking Greenland by force when several countries started sending soldiers to Greenland - although it was probably more symbolic than defensive.

I don't think independence is the answer to this conflict. The problems won't go away if Greenland becomes independent. Quite the opposite.

As I wrote earlier, the world order has changed radically. We can hope that it is temporary, but for now we have to live with more military power so that we can ensure that our beautiful and pacifist country remains in our hands.