Could Trump reignite Arctic whisky war?

Donald Trump has stated that he wants the US to buy Greenland, prompting Denmark to spring into action. Could political uncertainty restart the suspended ‘whisky war’ in the Arctic?

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on 20 January, has had his sights set on Greenland for some time.

In 2019, during his last term as President, Trump indicated that the US should buy Greenland due to the fact that US space base Pituffik (the most northerly post of the US military) is located there.

At the time, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Trump’s suggestion “absurd”, causing Trump to retaliate by cancelling a scheduled visit to Copenhagen.

National security

Last month, Trump reiterated his thoughts about Greenland on his social media platform Truth Social.

“For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that ownership and control of  Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote.

He has since posted on the platform that Greenland and its people “will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our nation”.

Trump also revealed that his son Donald Trump Jr, along with “various representatives” would travel to Greenland “to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights”.

“We will protect it, and cherish it, from a very vicious outside world,” he wrote. “Make Greenland great again!”

Fighting talk

Shortly after the statements were published, King Frederik of Denmark officially altered the Danish coat of arms to emphasise its connection to Greenland. The new coat of arms includes an image of a polar bear to represent Greenland; a semi-autonomous Danish region since 1953 (and a Danish colony before this).

The amendment to the coat of arms has been noted by some commentators as a “statement of intent” to hold onto Greenland. And in his new year speech King Frederik said: “We are all united and each of us committed for the kingdom of Denmark. From the Danish minority in South Schleswig…all the way to Greenland. We belong together.”

Whisky war

However, it’s not only the US that Denmark has been at loggerheads with over Greenland territory. It has only recently resolved an almost century-long battle with Canada over a claim to one particular corner of the Arctic region, called Hans Island.

Between 1930 and 2022 Denmark and Canada played out a tit-for-tat exchange that saw military personnel from both nations lay claim to the island by planting their national flags in the outpost’s stony ground. Flags were usually accompanied by bottles of the respective parties’ national booze, either Canadian whisky or Danish Schnapps.

The non-aggressive conflict became known as the ‘Whisky War’, and over the years involved continued trips by both sides to remove and replace the other party’s alcoholic goods. In fact, the dispute escalated to a point where Stauning Whisky, the largest whisky producer in Denmark, threatened to halt its production in an attempt to peacefully resolve the historical conflict.

“Whisky is not about hostility but the exact opposite. It’s about friendship and curiosity – and we won’t accept that there’s a war going on between Denmark and Canada in the name of whisky,” said Stauning co-founder Alex Munch. “We want to put a stop to it”.

Hans Island is located in the Kennedy Channel, between Greenland, an official ‘district’ of Denmark, and the Canadian-owned Ellesmere Island. When a treaty between the two nations was signed in 1973 a gap was left in the border description, leaving the ownership of Hans Island undefined.

Peaceful resolution

In 2022, as the whisky war rumbled on, Denmark and Canada finally reached an agreement to split the island roughly down the middle, bringing an end to the 90-year-long dispute.

“We’re setting a precedent. We’re showing to other countries how territorial disputes can be solved,” said Canada’s foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly, speaking at a signing ceremony in Ottawa.

Whisky war 2.0

With Trump now making noises about “buying Greenland”, will the Hans Island feud reignite?

“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” stressed Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede. “We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”

The situation is made all the more tenuous by the resignation on 6 January 2024 of Canadian president Justin Trudeau. Having been in the hot seat for nine years, Trudeau was in office when Canada and Denmark agreed to cool their heels in the longstanding whisky war.

His successor is unlikely to be announced for some months, as following Trudeau’s announcement Canada’s parliament will be prologued – or suspended – until 24 March. A new leader does not need to be selected until the October election.

“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau said.

Liberal Trudeau has come under fire from his own party, as well as from opposition, for not doing enough to address the “grave challenge” of Trump’s proposed 25% tax on imported Canadian goods.

According to the BBC, Canada’s Conservative party has maintained a two-digit lead over the Liberals in polls for months – suggesting that if a general election were held today, the Liberals could be in for a significant defeat.

Regardless of which party winds up in power, Canada’s next Prime Minister will need to choose whether to honour or overturn the Hans island agreement.

However, given Trump’s Canada tariff escalation  it’s unlikely that the next person to lead Canada will support Trump’s intention to bring Greenland and Hans Island under US control.