Profs & Pints DC: Gaining Greenland, Losing a Continent?
Profs and Pints DC presents: “Gaining Greenland, Losing a Continent?” on the historic roots and political drivers of an unexpected international crisis, with Garret Martin, senior professorial lecturer at American University’s School of International Service and co-director of its Transatlantic Policy Center.
Most Americans did not give much thought to Greenland prior to the start of President Trump’s second term. That changed, however, in the early weeks of January, when our nation’s President seemed intent on taking over the large island, long part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
His demands for the island risked tearing apart the transatlantic alliance, as shown during the Davos World Economic Forum. And while Trump eventually backed down, the crisis could resurface at any time.
Gain an understanding of how Greenland found itself in the position of being an international flash point with Garret Martin, an expert on Europe, NATO, foreign policy and transatlantic relations who has given excellent Profs and Pints talks in the past.
You’ll learn how the United States’ interest in Greenland has deep roots, dating back to expansion interests in the 19th Century, and strengthened by the island’s security role during the Cold War.
We’ll also look at how the abundance of critical minerals in Greenland make it the subject of particular attention, and how interest in Greenland is fundamentally tied to drastic changes occurring in the Arctic. Not only is climate change likely to significantly increase maritime traffic via northern routes, there also is growing concern that the increasing accessibility of the Arctic could make it a major source of military tension between great powers.
Finally, Dr. Martin will discuss Greenland as a story of emancipation, describing how the island has sought in past decades to carve greater autonomy from Denmark.
You’ll gain an appreciation of how Greenland sits at the intersection of economic security, environmental change, great power rivalry, tensions over sovereignty, and change within the transatlantic alliance, and thus is likely to remain the subject of considerable international attention well into the future. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: Greenland’s coast as photographed by Robert Eime (Creative Commons).
Event Links
Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3468258-0
