Warning for Greenland. Residents of the US Virgin Islands are watching the US-Denmark negotiations with concern

Traces of over 250 years of Danish colonial rule are still visible on the islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John, which today forms the US Virgin Islands. As US President Donald Trump negotiates with Denmark a new agreement regarding Greenland, some residents of these islands say that the current situation reminds them of their own past, marked by geopolitical decisions made without consulting the local population, reports USA Today.

The US president is negotiating a new Greenland deal with Denmark. PHOTO: Shutterstock

Towns with Danish names, buildings built of bricks brought from Europe and former sugar plantations where African slaves were forced to work are testimonies of the colonial period. Visual historian Stephanie Chalana Brown, of Afro-Caribbean descent, says her ancestors were among the first people enslaved by the Danish authorities.

“History never repeats itself in the same way, but it returns in different forms”said Brown, who is part of a group seeking reparations from Denmark for the period of slavery. She says she fears Greenlanders could end up in a similar situation, without a say in the future of their territory.

The Virgin Islands were purchased by the United States in 1917, under President Woodrow Wilson, for $25 million. The transaction took place in the midst of World War I, in the context of Washington's fears that Germany might take control of Danish territories in the Caribbean. Although Denmark held a referendum, it was only open to Danish citizens in Europe, not the local population of the islands.

After the transfer to the US, the inhabitants of the Virgin Islands did not immediately receive US citizenship, the process took more than a decade. Over time, the islands were used as a strategic outpost and base for naval operations, but their military importance declined significantly after the closure of the US Naval Air Station in 1948.

Recently, two US aircraft carriers were sent to the Virgin Islands and were later involved in operations in the Caribbean Sea and Venezuela. The military presence was met with mixed reactions by the local community: some saw economic benefits, while others expressed fears of escalating regional tensions.

“To see aircraft carriers in this geopolitical context took us by surprise”said Felipe Ayala, member of St. Thomas Historical Trust.

After these operations, Donald Trump resumed the speech on Greenland, stating that the United States will have “full access” to the island through an agreement with Denmark, without previously excluding the use of military force. The statements raised concerns both in Greenland and among communities in the former colonial territories.

For Stephanie Chalana Brown, the Virgin Islands experience is a warning. “We are losing our identity. Our children are growing up learning more about American culture than Caribbean culture,” she said. “I hope the people of Greenland don't go through the same process.”