Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#121

Post by toasterlovin » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 1:17 PM UTC

fit2rule wrote: post #106

DuskStar wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That works against non-NATO countries. If the US decided to turn its military basing agreements into ownership, there's not much anyone could really do to stop them. (If I had to do it, I'd follow the general pattern of greatly expanding those bases and the surrounding communities and eventually holding a referendum on whether the island should remain Danish or join the US - a referendum in which all the island's res…

How about American citizens consider removing their heinously destabilising military bases from other sovereign states, and instead using those resources to make the lives of their own citizens better? The world is tired of the USA bully thug politics involved in its placement of military bases around the world, and the arrogance of those who support these imperialist actions is very telling. These bases are not maki…

America is the worst. Except for all the world powers that came before. Be careful what you wish for.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#122

Post by Kenji » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 1:27 PM UTC

Because $100,000,000 is an absolutely laughable price for such a large area of land, even back then? How is this even a question? Denmark would have been stupid to sell.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#123

Post by brighter2morrow » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 1:33 PM UTC

Sharlin wrote: post #79

brighter2morrow wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why should Danes have resisted in WW2?

Because they were occupied by Nazi Germany?

Was that bad for Danes?

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#124

Post by macspoofing » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 1:59 PM UTC

goto11 wrote: post #103

macspoofing wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that if Greenland was valuable, Denmark wouldn't be able to hold it.

Denmark is a member of Nato, so the question is if Nato would be able to hold it.

Canada is a member of NATO and yet it cannot assert its sovereignty over the Northwest Passage.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#125

Post by d--b » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 2:16 PM UTC

> $100m in 1946 dollars is somewhere around $1b in 2011 dollars

Greenland is definitely worth a lot more than $1b today. So even the main argument that it doesn’t make financial sense doesn’t hold!

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#126

Post by toyg » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 2:23 PM UTC

nottorp wrote: post #88

Without checking who wrote the article I can see they're from the US because of the tendency to view everything just as profit/loss. Newsflash: there are things money can't buy. Even the credit card companies said so :)

Yeah, the whole argument was pretty callous and based on a colonial view of territories. In modern times, once a population is ethnically characterised, selling their land is basically unethical.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#127

Post by asr » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 2:42 PM UTC

brighter2morrow wrote: post #54

ngcc_hk wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if someone find diamond in the dark side of the moon, would you sell USA or just al to evil communist for money. Would you sell your homeland?

>But if someone find diamond in the dark side of the moon, would you sell USA or just al to evil communist for money. >Would you sell your homeland? What does it mean for the USA to be my homeland? My family has been here for centuries but the government is working more for "new Americans" than those of us who built the country. In that sense my homeland has been given away without my consent.

Congrats on building the country! Oh wait, you didn’t, it was your ancestors. Not sure why you think you deserve something based on your lineage—that’s an unamerican idea if I’ve ever heard one.

Your idea that there is some deep conflict between immigrants and people already here is also basically wrong. Immigrants have always been a huge source of strength for America and a net benefit to those already here.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#128

Post by Fre_d » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 2:45 PM UTC

Tepix wrote: post #65

Moru wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Greenland is believed by some geologists to have some of the world’s largest remaining oil resources. [1] [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_exploration_in_the...

Good thing Denmark owns it then. Less likely to exploit it

Perhaps, but we are already drilling oil out of the north sea.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#129

Post by arcticbull » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 2:50 PM UTC

> As an American, would I say Puerto Rico is one of the very last things that ought to ever be cut in the federal budget? Heck no! Puerto Rico has repeatedly decided it’d rather not be a state, but at least it’s still genuinely ruled by the USA; if Puerto Rico decided to switch to full home rule, I think I and the average American would care even less about them.

Yeah this part is almost entirely wrong. First, Puerto Rico has repeatedly voted to become a state most recently a few months ago (edit: June 2017). Full home rule for anyone is hardly the American way, though I’d speculate the Marshall Islanders and Samoans have fairly significant self determination a la Hong Kong. Further, America would never cede territory to anyone for fiscal reasons either because, well, nationalism. Once you start ceding territory for fiscal reasons I speculate you’re viewed principally through an emperor has no clothes lens and you’re a few steps from being what’s left of the U.K.

Re: Why Didn’t Denmark Sell Greenland?

#130

Post by bogomipz » Sat, Jul 06, 2019, 2:55 PM UTC

m12k wrote: post #89

I think the answer isn't that Denmark is hanging on to its colonialism, but rather that we've gotten over it more so than most other countries, and feel remorse. I think we feel an obligation to the native Inuit people - we smashed their culture and introduced them to alcohol, which - much like many other indigenous people around the world - they haven't evolved the same tolerance toward as Europeans have, making the…

How about the removal of Inuit children from their families and sending them to Denmark for re-education? [1]

This occurred during the same post War years(1951) as this proposed sale(1946.)

And it was the Danish government that removed people from their homes in Thule in order to make room for those American anti-aircraft defenses.

I think your suggestion of some superior Danish stewardship at that time is greatly misplaced.

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33060450