Trump must learn from history's Arctic profiteers

The US president has not been subtle about his goals for the Arctic: “We’ll give you far more than you have now,” he told Greenland, he noted, while sitting behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office. The desk, made from the British Arctic exploring vessel called HMS Resolute, is itself a reminder of the northern voyages of empire builders — the type of pursuit the president is after.

- Peter C. Mancall

The president and his allies are obsessed with the island’s rare earth minerals, strategic location, and shipping routes. Obtaining Greenland is part of the administration’s two-part strategy to expand American influence over the north. The other part, which has also attracted sustained attention, is the president’s oft-stated desire to make Canada the 51st state. These wishes fly in the face of the millions of residents in both Canada and Greenland, who share the belief that the northern borders of the United States should remain where they are.

When Vice President JD Vance descended from Air Force Two on his recent trip to Greenland, he quipped that no one had warned him it would be so cold. Before they dig open-pit mines or disturb the fragile politics of the Arctic, would-be expansionists may want to study up on the climates, cultures, and history — specifically how earlier profit-seekers fared when trying to claim northern lands.

From the turn of the first millennium through the 17th century, Europeans saw promise in the Arctic, first in Greenland and, later, in Canada.