In the recent Greenland crisis, it might have seemed as though Denmark and Greenland rose up as one against Donald Trump to stop him from forcibly incorporating Greenland into the United States. In many ways, that was true — neither party liked the way a global superpower was behaving. One memorable meme shows Danes and Greenlanders together dressing snowmen as soldiers, rifles slung across their chests.

At the same time, a lingering resentment still hangs in the air between Denmark and Greenland, born of Copenhagen's decades-long colonial conduct.

Let's recall that Denmark only granted Greenland partial independence (autonomy), including its own parliament and other local governing bodies, in 1979. Foreign and defense policy remained under Danish control.

The island has a population of 57,000, the vast majority of whom are indigenous Inuit (Eskimos). The idea of full independence has repeatedly tempted them. A 2009 agreement with Denmark lays the groundwork for that possibility, stating that independence could follow the outcome of a referendum.

One might well ask how a country with such a small population could support itself, but there are even fewer people living in Liechtenstein and San Marino. Granted, those countries are tiny in terms of territory. Still, the point stands.

All of that, however, remains music for the future. For now, Denmark pays Greenland €500 million a year, making it possible to provide free education and healthcare.

IUD scandal

The most painful issue in relations between the two countries is how Danes have treated Greenlanders over the past few decades. To put it mildly, they have been regarded as so-called second-class citizens, but former Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte B. Egede has gone so far as to call it genocide.

Among the most striking examples is the forced relocation of thousands of Greenlandic children — estimated at around 9,000 — to special schools in Denmark where the goal was to raise them as "proper" Danes. Even harsher was the policy implemented from the 1960s until 1991, in which contraceptive IUDs were forcibly implanted in young girls. It is estimated that about 4,500 girls were affected, significantly slowing Greenland's population growth.

This kind of oppression has partially contributed to widespread depression among the local population, as reflected in high rates of alcoholism. Studies have shown that about half the population experienced alcohol-related problems at home during childhood.

Such things are not easily forgotten. True, Copenhagen has since apologized, and a so-called reconciliation fund has been established, which may grant up to €40,200 in compensation to each victim.

Dangerous examples

The way colonial powers have treated overseas peoples under their control is, of course, a topic of its own. Spain, Portugal, France, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia and Denmark as well. Millions of people were simply enslaved or, worse yet, killed during periodic uprisings. In that sense, Greenland has admittedly "gotten off lightly."

Everyone should be aware of the fate that befell Native Americans. The actions of the Soviet Union and now Russia in Siberia and the Far East have led to the forced assimilation of dozens of ethnic groups. Had the Soviet Union endured, the same would have happened to us. The brutal Russification policies of the early 1980s would have left no room for anything else.

Alaska offers a glimpse of what might happen to Greenland if it were to come fully under U.S. control. The local Inuit there have been nearly Americanized.

That's why maintaining the best possible relations with Denmark is of vital importance to Greenland, even after any potential independence. It's worth asking whether, after the intense pressure from the Americans to acquire Greenland, the island would dare risk taking that step.

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