The “Greenland issue”: identity factor and problems of discursive power in a polycentric world

Abstract

Destabilization has become a key characteristic of the global political realities of the 2020s. The Euro-Atlantic region is ceasing to be a zone of political stability and economic prosperity. One of the most untypical manifestations of these processes is the “Greenland issue” as a set of geopolitical, economic, and ethnocultural contradictions surrounding the status and ownership of the island of Greenland and its inhabitants. U.S. President D.Trump’s initiative to purchase the island from Denmark caused a major political shock. In academic and expert discourse, political realism prevails in the analysis of the Greenland case. Meanwhile, the factor of Greenlandic (Inuit) identity does not attract sufficient attention. How does the factor of ethnic identity manifest itself in the “Greenland issue” and what broader significance does this have? The article reveals two basic components of the ethnic identity of the Greenlandic Inuits: a unique adaptability to local natural and climatic conditions and an anti-colonial stance as a consensual political constant. This ethnic identity has transformed into Greenland’s political subjectivity. In the case of the U.S. pressure, this manifests itself in widespread grassroots protest and negatively impacts the image of D.Trump and his administration. Along with other factors, Greenlandic identity undermines U.S. expansionist plans. Furthermore, Greenland acts as a “trendsetter” for minority ethnic groups in the Arctic and elsewhere, demonstrating a new quality of interaction with established centers of power. Ultimately, this demonstrates the growing role of intangible factors in international politics. Among these factors, discourse power as a set of competing worldviews of various actors vying for leadership in global politics is particularly significant. This article compares the discursive power profiles of Greenland, the United States, the European Union, and Russia.