When liberty becomes empire: Sungsoo Kim’s response to the Greenland crisis

‘We must speak plainly about what we are witnessing.’

The echo across a century is chilling. In 1910, Japan justified its military annexation of Korea with a claim of strategic necessity: better Japanese control than Chinese or Russian dominance. Thirty-five years of brutal colonial rule followed, ending only with atomic fire in 1945. Now, in 2026, we hear similar language from a US president regarding Greenland: if the United States doesn’t take control, China or Russia will.

As Friends, we must speak plainly about what we are witnessing. The rhetoric is familiar to students of history. Every empire has dressed its ambitions in the language of necessity and protection. Japan claimed it was modernising Korea and protecting it from threats. European powers spoke of their ‘civilising mission’ in Africa and Asia. The Soviet Union couched its domination of Eastern Europe in terms of defensive buffer zones.

Now we hear Donald Trump speak of acquiring Greenland, a self-governing territory of 57,000 people, primarily indigenous Greenlanders, who have not asked for US governance and do not want it. The justification offered is strategic competition with China and Russia. This is imperialism, using the oldest excuse in the imperial playbook.

The irony cuts deep. The United States was born in rebellion against empire, declaring certain truths to be self-evident: that all are created equal, endowed with inalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The US revolution was fought precisely against the notion that powerful nations could simply take what they wished from weaker peoples. Yet here we stand, 250 years later, contemplating the forced annexation of another people’s homeland.

Greenland is not empty land waiting to be claimed. It is Kalaallit Nunaat, home to the Greenlandic people for thousands of years. It has its own parliament, its own government, and increasing autonomy within Denmark. The Greenlandic people have made clear they have no interest in US sovereignty. Where is their right to self-determination? Where is the respect for the consent of the governed that US citizens claim as their birthright?

Make no mistake: what is being proposed represents a return to the age of imperialism. The United Nations Charter, which the US helped create, is built on the principle of sovereign equality among nations and the right of peoples to self-determination. For decades, the US positioned itself as the defender of these principles, even when it failed to live up to them. The rhetoric of its foreign policy emphasised democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Now we hear open talk of annexation of another people’s territory.

This is not merely a departure from US ideals. It is a fundamental assault on the international legal framework that has, however imperfectly, restrained the worst impulses of great powers since 1945. If the US claims the right to seize Greenland, on what basis can it object when Russia seizes Ukraine, or China Taiwan?

As Friends, our testimony is clear. We do not believe that might makes right. We do not believe that strategic interest justifies the domination of peoples. We do not believe that the kingdom of God is advanced through military force and imperial expansion.

Our peace testimony calls us to oppose violence in all its forms, including the violence of empire. Our testimony to equality reminds us that Greenlanders are not pawns in great competition but human beings with inherent worth and rights. Our testimony to truth-telling requires us to name imperialism when we see it, even when it wears the flag we may have once saluted.

What can we do? First, we must speak. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. Meetings should consider minutes opposing any action against Greenland, and affirming the sovereignty and self-determination of the Greenlandic people. We should write to our representatives, make our voices heard in the public square, and stand in solidarity with Greenlandic voices.

‘Every empire has dressed its ambitions in the language of necessity and protection.’

Second, we must educate. Many US citizens know little about Greenland, its people, or its status. We can help our communities understand what is at stake, not just strategically, but morally. We can draw connections between historical injustices against indigenous peoples in our own continent and what is being proposed now.

Third, we must build coalitions. Other faith communities, indigenous rights organisations, peace groups, and civil society organisations share our concerns. The American Friends Service Committee and Friends Committee on National Legislation can be important partners in coordinated witness.

Fourth, we must examine our own complicity. How do our tax pounds, our investments, our consumption patterns support the military infrastructure that makes such imperial adventures possible? Corporate and individual witness may require us to make difficult choices about how we live in the empire.

Finally, we must pray and wait upon the Spirit. In worship, we can seek guidance for faithful witness in troubling times. We can hold both the people of Greenland and the people of the US in the Light, trusting that there is that of God in every person, even those proposing conquest.

Friends have always believed that another way is possible. Where others see inevitable conflict, we seek peace. Where others see strategic necessity, we see human beings deserving of dignity and freedom. Where others see weakness in restraint, we see strength in the refusal to dominate.

The United States does not need Greenland. It needs its soul. If the US truly wants to counter authoritarian powers, the way forward is not to imitate their methods but to demonstrate the power of democracy, equality, and respect for sovereignty. The moral authority the US once claimed came not from its military might but from moments, however imperfect and incomplete, when it actually stood for the principles it professed.

Let us be clear: there is nothing strategic, nothing defensive, nothing noble about taking over a people who wish to be free. It is simply wrong. And as Friends, we must say so. The clock should not turn backward. The age of empire should remain in the past. And the people of Greenland should determine their own future. This is not naiveté. It is faithfulness. And it is what this moment demands of us. ‘The Lord hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?’ (Micah 6:8).

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Comments

Thank you for your clarity and witness .
I read this en route to Boston :an American citizen and a Devon Friend.
May we each continue to engage with soul work/spirit work and practical work.

By bigbooks1963@gmail.com on 29th January 2026 - 13:44

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