Greenland in the midst of global crises

How does Greenland respond when crises hit the Arctic?

Associate Professor Rasmus Leander Nielsen from Ilisimatusarfik examines this question in a new research article that has just been published in the journal Internasjonal Politikk.

The article - titled "Krisediplomati i Arktisk Råd: en komparativ analyse af Grønlands håndtering af henholdsvis covid-19 og Ruslands invasion af Ukraine" ("Crisis diplomacy in the Arctic Council: a comparative analysis of Greenland's handling of COVID-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine") - delves into two of the biggest global crises of recent times and looks at how they have affected Greenland's foreign diplomacy.

Two crises - one arena

Greenland has for many years played an active role in the Arctic Council - the most important international forum for cooperation in the Arctic.

But when the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020 and when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, cooperation in the council was put under massive pressure.

How does Greenland act in such a situation?

What does it mean when everyday life in the Arctic Council is interrupted by global shocks?

These are some of the questions the article seeks to answer.

The article shows how Greenland's diplomatic efforts were challenged - but also adapted - in the face of the two crises.

Focus on Greenlandic stakeholders

The research is based on interviews with Greenlandic diplomats and analysis of official documents.

Here is a picture of how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in particular worked under difficult conditions during the two crisis periods.

The article also compares how Greenland handled the two events - pointing out both clear differences and important similarities in Greenland's approach to crisis diplomacy.

Diplomacy under pressure

"Greenland prioritizes cooperation in the Arctic Council, so when crises shake the forum, it directly affects foreign policy work", Rasmus Leander Nielsen explains.

With this article, he contributes new knowledge about how smaller players like Greenland can navigate diplomatically in a stormy international landscape - and what we can learn from it going forward.