American threats push Greenland closer to Denmark
The fear of invasion is undermining the anti-colonial movement
AMERICAN SPOOKS boast formidable intelligence-gathering tools. On any given day they might be hoovering up the phone records of suspected terrorists or tracking Russian troops in Ukraine. These days, however, spies can be found snooping on a target much closer to home: Greenland. According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration directed its intelligence agencies, including the CIA and National Security Agency, to step up surveillance of Greenland’s independence movement and identify locals sympathetic to American designs on the Arctic island.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Independence blunted”
From the May 24th 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
Ukraine’s political infighting gets nasty
As Trump starves it of arms, there is turmoil inside the government
Turkey’s strongman is becoming Donald Trump’s point man
But renewed war with Iran would put the honeymoon with Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the test
Germany’s Bundestag bars AfD MPs from its football team
Could the sporting ban precede a political one?
An infestation of ticks menaces Istanbul
And mosquitos are a growing problem too
The sleeping policeman at the heart of Europe
Enforcement of EU law has become an afterthought
A pragmatic amnesty for separatists benefits Catalonia
But it carries costs for the rule of law