Like Greenland, the Faroe Islands are a territory of Denmark.
For the last few weeks, Donald Trump has been publicly flirting with Greenland, trying to get them to become the 51st State.
First of all, it's not that simple.
Second of all, Denmark doesn't want to give up Greenland.
Third of all, Greenland wants independence, not statehood.
But setting ALL of that aside, what Donald Trump has clumsily done is opened up a can of worms that didn't need to be opened.
Today, at Pravda: (Yes, that Pravda.)
The Faroe Islands are in the middle of nowhere between Norway, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.
Pravda claims that both Greenland and the Faroe Islands will declare independence from Denmark, then Greenland will join America, and the Faroe Islands will join Russia.
That is a fairy tale. The rationale for such speculation? Russia is the # 1 export partner for the Faroe Islands. Apparently, the Russians enjoy Faroese Salmon.
But I'm going to tell you a secret. Two thousand years ago, in the Bible, there is a parable about taking care of what you have. Luke 12:15: “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
As nations race to expand their Arctic footprint, leaders seem to forget one little detail about their citizens. Very few people love the icy cold.
Right now, the United States owns Alaska. Have they developed it? Barely. Alaska averages just a hair over 1 citizen per square mile.
Right now, Russia owns Siberia. Have they developed it? Barely. Siberia averages just under 1 citizen per square mile.
Instead of trying to expand their presences in the Arctic, both countries should focus on what they have.
North of the Faroes, by about a thousand miles, is Svalbard. Svalbard has a population of 2,000 and is the layover point for many North Pole expeditions. Its population is 60% Norwegian and 40% Russian.
Just a week ago, Politico warned that Vladimir Putin had his eyes on Svalbard. Norwegian leaders were forced to make a statement: "Svalbard is Norway."
Why doesn't Russia develop Yuzhny Island? Because of the Nuclear Testing.
Why doesn't Russia develop Kotelny Island? They had a military base there in the past, they abandoned it. Current population? 2. Yes, as in T-W-O.
Why doesn't Russia develop Wrangel Island? Because it's a nature preserve.
Listen, we are no better. The Aleutian Island Chain in Alaska contains over 300 islands, almost none have been developed. Total population of all islands? About 8,000.
Which circles us back to reality. It is 6 degrees outside right now where I live in Cleveland, Ohio. We are in the midst of a once-every-5-year cold spell. The schools are closed. Government buildings are closed. I just watched college kids on Action 19 whining that their university is the only thing that's open in the city.
The air temperature is supposed to drop to -10 degrees tonight. Right now, the streets are mostly empty and tonight they will be desolate.
Why does either Russia or America want more of an Arctic presence when no one wants to live in, or develop, their own cold weather regions now?
Edmonton, Canada is known as the "Gateway to the North" and is the Northern-most city in North America with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. But the north coast of Canada is still a thousand miles to the north from Alberta's Capital. (And that doesn't include Canadian Islands)
St. Petersburg, Russia is the Northern-most city in the world with over 1,000,000 inhabitants. Like Edmonton, it is still almost a thousand miles from St. Petersbury to Russia's north coast by car.
The Faroe Islands have a population of 50,000, yet have 4 of 7 different political parties that have independence as part of their platforms:
According to the Faroese Government itself: "Subsidies from Denmark now account for only 6 per cent of public income. These were the highlights of Minister of Finance Kristina Háfoss’ presentation on the National Budget Framework for 2020-2024."
And there's the crux right there. Every source cites the monetary tethers from the Faroe Islands to Denmark.
Could Russia BUY, and then subsidize, an independent Faroe Islands in the future?
I think of Russia as more of a conquest-based government.