No one expected Donald Trump to kick off his second term by trying to Make Imperialism Great Again, but here we are. In the past few weeks, the president has revived his effort to buy Greenland, threatened to retake the Panama Canal, suggested that Canada become the 51st state, and (sort of) renamed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

To be sure, the way that Trump is presenting all of these ideas is very stupid. But some of these outlandish threats reflect reasonable U.S. strategic goals. Others are just geopolitical bullying run amok or perhaps an attempt to bring back Nixon’s “madman theory.” Here’s a guide to Trump’s expansionist agenda and whether any of it is actually feasible.

He said the United States must take “ownership and control” of Greenland, the world’s largest island, in a December 22 Truth Social post that was ostensibly about announcing Ken Howery as his pick for ambassador to Denmark. His message concluded:

For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity. Ken will do a wonderful job in representing the interests of the United States. Thank you Ken, and congratulations!

Five days before his inauguration, Trump reportedly had an “aggressive” 45-minute phone call with Mette Frederiksen in which he informed the Danish prime minister that he wants the U.S. to take over Greenland. According to the New York Times, Frederiksen said he’s open to more cooperation with the U.S., but Greenland is not for sale.

Less than a week after his inauguration, President Trump said of Greenland, “I think we’re going to have it.” He also admitted that he hasn’t studied up on the issue, saying, “I don’t know really what claim Denmark has to it. But it would be a very unfriendly act if they didn’t allow that to happen because it’s for protection of the free world. It’s not for us, it’s for the free world.”

At a January 7 press conference, Trump offered this confusing explanation, which has “I can see Russia from my house” vibes:

Well, we need Greenland for national security purposes. I’ve been told that for a long time, long before I even ran. I mean, people have been talking about it for a long time. You have approximately 45,000 people there. People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up because we need it for national security.

That’s for the free world. I’m talking about protecting the free world. You look at — you don’t even need binoculars, you look outside, you have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen. We’re not letting it happen. And if Denmark wants to get to a conclusion — but nobody knows if they even have any right title or interest.

Greenland is important for economic and defense reasons, as it is located between the U.S., Russia, and Europe. It also has important natural resources, like oil, natural gas, and rare earth minerals. Trump is right about how “people have been talking about it for a long time”: American leaders have been looking for ways to exert greater control over the island for more than a century.

Greenland is now even more strategically valuable, since melting sea ice has opened up new Arctic shipping routes. Alexander B. Gray explained the situation in a November Wall Street Journal opinion piece:

Russia and China are threatening the status quo in the Arctic. Moscow has claimed significant chunks of the Arctic Sea, including inside Greenland’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Russian survey ships have encroached on Greenland’s waters, and Russia is expanding its Arctic bases and formidable icebreaker fleet. China has declared itself a “near-Arctic state,” established a shipping network called the “Polar Silk Road” to bind Arctic communities closer to........

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