Donald Trump wants Greenland. The vast, sparsely populated Arctic island has been under Danish control for 300 years, but back in 2019, when he was last president, he floated the idea of buying it. He recently reiterated that, and even refused to rule out using force to get what he wants.

Why would Trump want Greenland?

First, it’s a huge piece of the Arctic, where international competition with Russia and China for control over shipping routes and deepwater mining is heating up as the ice caps melt.