Miles upon miles of icy tundraOne third of the Earth's soil-bound carbon is in these treeless arctic regions. As global warming melts the permafrost, this carbon escapes as CO2 and methane. and imposing glaciers. Polar bears roaming the coastlines. Summers that never see darkness, and winters that never see light.

Beautiful, and also somehow terrifying. For much of history, Greenland has been isolated. An autonomousHaving the freedom to control itself or its life. territory in the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a founding NatoThe North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members. member and politically and culturally close to Europe, but it rarely makes the headlines.

Now, the icy island is at the centre of a news firestorm. US president Donald Trump has become increasingly fixated on acquiring the territory since he was re-elected, saying "I think we're going to have it".

A new poll showed that Greenlanders overwhelmingly reject the proposal, with 85% saying they do not want their island to become a part of the United States.¹ Trump had previously claimed that the 57,000 residents of the semi-autonomous island "want to be with us".

Trump has refused to rule out using military force to take Greenland. Meanwhile, the EUEuropean Union. An economic and political union of 27 countries. has hardened its line, condemning the use of force to shift borders and reiterating that the future of Greenland is up to Greenlanders.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been firm in her response, saying "Greenland is not for sale". And surprisingly Greenland's last Danish minister said that the UK has "first dibs" on a potential Greenland sale.²

Greenland is large, larger than any individual American state, but has a population of just 56,000 and a GDPShort for Gross Domestic Product, the measure of all the goods and services produced inside a country. of just $3bn (£2.4bn). It relies heavily on aid from Denmark. It might seem economically insignificant.

But circumstances have made this modest, chilly territory strategically vital. It is located in a tactically important position, between Russia and America. It has a vast abundance of valuable mineral wealth, including ruby, iron, uranium, titanium and copper deposits.

It also has giant oil and gas reserves. An assessment by the US Geological Survey found that Greenland could yield 52 billion barrels of oil, or 3% of the world's proven resources. In Trump's inaugural address, he pledged to "drill, baby, drill".

Greenland's resources have historically been hard to mine. Most of the island is covered in ice. But as the climate warms and the ice melts, it seems increasingly possible to extract this wealth of natural resources.³

It could be a strategic boost in the economic race between the US and China. Most of the minerals in Greenland are currently sourced from China, putting the US at a disadvantage.

But many say it is a travestyA fake and offensive representation of something. Travesty descends from the French verb travestir, meaning to disguise.. Ancestral land is not to be bought and sold any more than the lives of the people living on that land. And it is certainly not to be conquered. Trump's military adventurism must be nipped in the bud, they contend.

Will Trump take over?

Yes: Trump has made his ambitions clear. Acquiring Greenland by any means necessary was a headline commitment of his second term and he will not allow himself to fail. He will stop at nothing to get this done.

No: Trump is merely posturing. He wants to distract Americans with military expansionismThe belief that a country should grow by taking over new territory. and promises to expand a vast US empire as part of his quest to "make America great again". But it will alienateMake someone feel disconnected or isolated. key allies and is not a viable strategy.

Or... Rather than worrying about this specific acquisition, we should view this as part of a general, worrying trend in the 21st Century towards expansionism and the revival of imperialRelating to an empire. aims.

Tundra - One third of the Earth's soil-bound carbon is in these treeless arctic regions. As global warming melts the permafrost, this carbon escapes as CO2 and methane.

Autonomous - Having the freedom to control itself or its life.

Nato - The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded in 1949 to unite Western democracies in Europe and North America against the perceived growing threat of the USSR. It now has 31 members.

EU - European Union. An economic and political union of 27 countries.

GDP - Short for Gross Domestic Product, the measure of all the goods and services produced inside a country.

Travesty - A fake and offensive representation of something. Travesty descends from the French verb travestir, meaning to disguise.

Expansionism - The belief that a country should grow by taking over new territory.

Alienate - Make someone feel disconnected or isolated.

Imperial - Relating to an empire.