The grass is always greener under the giant glacier...

Greenland has been given self rule by Denmark, a move that will most likely lead to complete independence in a few years. Part of me says good for Greenland and part of me is a bit concerned. Most of Greenland's resources are still buried under quite a bit of ice and glacier which means that Greenland's autonomy is based on the knowledge that the ice will melt and access to those resources will be easier. The last paragraph of the article essentially makes my point:

"Greenland currently relies heavily on subsidies from the Danish government - which provide 30% of its GDP."

Pictured: Greenland's resources

So if Greenland were to gain independence right now they would be unable to support themselves as a country without a large amount of help from Denmark, or would need global warming to hurry up and melt that ice so all those wonderful resources can be mined. What a depressing scenerio, which leads me to the second to last paragraph:

"Newly elected Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist has vowed to concentrate on tackling big social problems, such as alcoholism, domestic violence and a high suicide rate."

If I lived in Greenland I'd probably be a suicidal alcoholic as well.

Just wait until the civil war between the green and red houses breaks out

I'm all for colonies and peoples wanting independence from foreign domination, such as the United States, Cuba, and all of Africa; but there is a point where independence is probably not your best option, and it's not like Denmark is stripping the resources of Greenland and enslaving its people. It's Denmark for pete's sake. Not to mention the area around the Arctic circle has the potential to become a major flash point of conflict between world powers as the ice melts and the (suspected) natural resources are more easily obtainable. The only reason this region didn't get discussed in my "Top 10" from a few posts back is because 2 of the nations which will most likely be involved in any conflict in this region are Canada and Denmark...it's Denmark (and Canada)for pete's sake. I could see US, Norwegian, and Russian forces postering around each other attempting to claim territory only to have Denmark and Canada build oil rigs while no one is paying attention.

Do you really want to become an independent nation only to have your autonomy infringed upon by world powers? Hmm, gain freedom only to lose it to Russia or the US or stay with Denmark but with self rule? I know what I would chose, it's Denmark for pete's sake.