Awkward Geopolitics: US President Trump’s Proposal to Acquire Greenland

This paper develops the idea of ‘awkward geopolitics’ through a case study of US President Donald Trump’s renewed proposal to acquire Greenland. Applying a dramaturgical framework of performer-stage-audience, it examines how awkwardness is staged, perceived, and managed in geopolitical narratives and performances. Multiscale awkwardness is examined through Trump’s presidential style, Denmark and Greenland’s diplomatic positions, and public protest and satire practices. The article argues that awkwardness functions as a felt expression of norm transgression and as a performative site where power hierarchies are exposed, negotiated, and contested. Empirically, the analysis of multiscale awkwardness highlights the interplay of power asymmetries, norms, and emotions, providing a more nuanced account of tensions and complexity in Arctic geopolitics. Theoretically, awkwardness foregrounds the regulatory dimension of emotions by redistributing interpretive and emotional labour to targeted audiences. By conceptualising awkwardness as a diagnostic of norm disruption, a mechanism through which power is exercised, and a resource for resistance, this article proposes a forward-looking research agenda to examine awkward geopolitics in areas such as climate change and AI governance.