In recent weeks, U.S. President Donald J. Trump has unequivocally expressed his desire to purchase Greenland, which holds a constitutional status within the Danish ‘Unity of the Realm’ under the framework of Denmark’s Constitution and the Act on Greenland Self-Government. Dr. Ekaterina Antsygina has already examined the legal foundations of Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and the Greenlandic people recognized right to self-determination within international law in EJIL: Talk!. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has firmly asserted that ‘Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders’. Likewise, Naaja Nathanielsen, a senior minister in Greenland’s autonomous government, pushed back on Trump’s aggressive buyer’s technique, stating unequivocally: ‘We are not a commodity. And we are not for sale.’ Trump’s invocation of international law policy through the prospect of territorial purchase recalls an earlier period in the pre-history of the United States, when the Dutch were engaged in colonising parts of North East America. The 1620s were an era of inter-imperial rivalry, aggressive capitalism, and the formative development of the law of nature and nations. Precisely four centuries ago,…
States and Statehood
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Greenland and Territorial Acquisition under International Law
The United States and Denmark have been embroiled in political tensions over President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland, possibly even by force. The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, has recently met some of her EU counterparts to gain their political support for preserving Denmark’s territorial integrity. The current status of…
The Legal Debate Surrounding Greenland and Denmark: Unpacking Donald Trump’s Statements
On January 8, 2025, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump questioned Denmark’s legal rights to Greenland, stating, “people don’t really know if Denmark has any legal rights to [Greenland].” While the specific concerns behind his remarks remain unclear, they likely touch on two interrelated issues: Denmark’s historical establishment of sovereignty over Greenland, despite limited effective occupation initially, and the…
Continuity of Statehood for Deterritorialized Nations: A Range of Principles but Few Concrete Prospects
As the public hearings on the request for an advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change drew to a close on 13 December, the Court began its deliberation with much material to reflect on. The request introduced by the United Nations General Assembly in April 2023 – even if not…
Two-President Problem: Recognition of Head of State of Georgia after 29 December
In recent months, Georgia has faced a deepening constitutional crisis. After elections marred with irregularities, the legality and legitimacy of the rule of the present powers-that-be have been questioned domestically and increasingly also internationally. These challenges to its authority have not barred the ruling party – Georgian Dream –…