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As Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office as president Jan. 20, he and his advisers have already been staking out policy moves. But few have raised eyebrows quite as much as his comments regarding the acquisition of Greenland.

In a Dec. 22 announcement naming his ambassador to Denmark, Mr. Trump wrote that 鈥淭he United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.鈥� The idea seems to many outlandish, and the leaders of both Denmark and Greenland itself are rejecting it. Mr. Trump鈥檚 statement framed his reasons, namely 鈥淔or purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World.鈥�

鈥淚 think it boils down to three things鈥� for Mr. Trump, says Otto Svendsen, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 鈥淕reenland鈥檚 geostrategic position in the Atlantic Ocean,鈥� where it sits along the shortest path a ballistic missile could take between Russia and the U.S.; 鈥渄eterring Russian and Chinese presence in the Arctic at large; and, I think perhaps most poignantly with the broader economic goals of the Trump administration, its access to critical resources.鈥�

The island has vast natural resources, including lithium, platinum, and graphite, that are vital to 鈥渆verything from the energy transition, analog development, and various military applications [to] electronic applications,鈥� Mr. Svendsen says. Additionally, Greenland has access to billions of barrels of untapped oil deposits.

Perhaps in keeping with his past as a real estate executive, Mr. Trump may also be driven partly by a desire to secure his legacy by expanding the United States, something that a source told Reuters he often talks about.

Are there historical parallels for this saga?

Purchasing new lands is something the U.S. is very accustomed to.

The U.S. has even tried to purchase Greenland before, with President Harry Truman鈥檚 administration offering $100 million in 1946 and Mr. Trump himself floating the idea in 2019. As far back as the 1860s, an acquisition was explored by the same Secretary of State William Seward who engineered the Alaska purchase.

鈥淓ven when it uses force, [the U.S.] likes to buy,鈥� says David Ekbladh, a professor of history at Tufts University. One prominent example is with the Mexican-American War. 鈥淲e push Mexico into a war, ... we demand territory, and then we purchase,鈥� explains Dr. Ekbladh. That action, known as the Gadsden Purchase, which was finalized in 1854, brought parts of modern-day New Mexico and Arizona into the union.

But in his eyes, Mr. Trump鈥檚 Greenland aspirations are 鈥渁 little bit more like Panama,鈥� with the strategic canal there being another target of Mr. Trump鈥檚 recent ambitions.

Once a province of Colombia, Panama became a case in which 鈥淭he U.S. stirs the pot with a group of people that want to break away and uses that as a lever鈥� to gain control, says Dr. Ekbladh. After Panama鈥檚 independence, the U.S. signed a 1903 treaty gaining access to a 10-mile wide strip of land for the future Panama Canal.

Greenland鈥檚 government, led by Prime Minister M煤te Egede, has long pushed for eventual independence, in a loose parallel to Panama鈥檚 case.

Mr. Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr.,聽who took a private trip Jan. 7 to Greenland, seem to be echoing that strategy, with the former posting to the social platform Truth Social, 鈥淸The Greenlanders] and the Free World, need safety, security, strength, and PEACE! This is a deal that must happen. MAGA. MAKE GREENLAND GREAT AGAIN!鈥�

Who would decide Greenland鈥檚 fate?

While the island has a degree of domestic autonomy, Greenland has been largely under Denmark鈥檚 control since 1814. Denmark still controls Greenland鈥檚 foreign and defense policies.

It is important to note that, as part of the complicated history, the U.S. agreed to let go of potential territorial claims in Greenland when it purchased the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) from Denmark in 1917.

However, Denmark鈥檚 2009 Act on Greenland Self-Government 鈥渃learly stipulates that the future of Greenland is up to the people of Greenland, and the government in Copenhagen is very adamant about upholding that piece of legislation,鈥� says Mr. Svendsen. 鈥淚 think they鈥檝e had to strike a very delicate balance between asserting themselves towards these very aggressive claims by President Trump, and at the same time sort of upholding the democratic legitimacy of Greenland and what they have politically committed themselves to from this 2009 self-government act.鈥�

When it comes to what Greenlanders think, there is a similar balance. Most residents want independence from Denmark, at the very least. The idea of being a U.S. overseas territory or state akin to Puerto Rico or Guam is not the end goal, a point that Mr. Egede and Greenland鈥檚 Finance Minister Erik Jensen have expressed.

Yet for Greenland, independence could raise questions of how to replace a block grant from Copenhagen, which provides about $500 million a year toward basic government services.

Mr. Svendsen says one potential path toward a greater U.S. role would be for Americans, in exchange for certain concessions, to make a compelling financial offer to the people of Greenland.

That could take the form of a 鈥渇ree association鈥� agreement similar to what the U.S. has with the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau in the Pacific Ocean. But again, the people of Greenland haven鈥檛 embraced that goal.

What would the diplomatic consequences be if the U.S. acquired Greenland?

Mr. Trump has long clashed with European Union nations over everything from trade to defense, and this seems to be another flashpoint that plays into the broader deterioration of U.S.-EU relations.

The Trump administration鈥檚 鈥淎merica first鈥� foreign policy strategy values projecting strength. The hope may be that assertive words yield at least some concessions. But Greenland already provides an air base to the U.S., and is open to more economic dealmaking.

Some experts say Mr. Trump鈥檚 efforts risk backfiring if they alienate longtime partners, including people in Greenland.

When it comes to resources, a 2023 survey showed that 鈥�25 of 34 minerals deemed 鈥榗ritical raw materials鈥� by the European Commission were found in Greenland.鈥� A U.S. claim on those resources may exacerbate tensions between the U.S. and the EU, as both have interests in the Arctic.

Mr. Trump has made a point of not ruling out the use of military force to acquire Greenland. Any such action would be incendiary 鈥� in part because Denmark is part of the NATO alliance (as is the U.S., of course) and by the organization鈥檚 charter an attack on one member of the alliance is considered an attack on all.

Why are nations so interested in controlling the Arctic?

鈥淐limate change is opening up the Arctic in a way where things are more accessible,鈥� says Dr. Ekbladh. 鈥淭hat creates a new landscape for competition.鈥� As ice caps recede, places once impassable are now turning into potentially lucrative trade routes, especially when paired with the vast sources of oil and minerals that will also become increasingly less expensive to harvest as the region warms.

In 2021, China stated plans for a 鈥淧olar Silk Road,鈥� eyeing both the mineral deposits and the potential new shipping lanes that could appear, and has close ties with Arctic power Russia.

Acquiring Greenland would be a way for the Trump administration to push back against China, something that has been a primary foreign policy objective for Mr. Trump, says Dr. Ekbladh.