One of Donald Trump’s more diabolical(魔鬼般的；极其邪恶的) talents is his ability to land on(抓住；选中；落到) the right things in the wrong way. Since his first term, Trump has been obsessed with the Arctic – Greenland in particular – something that has puzzled and enraged many, particularly in Europe.(自第一个任期以来，特朗普就对北极——尤其是格陵兰——念念不忘，这让许多人，特别是欧洲人，既困惑又愤怒。) He first brought up the idea of buying the icy landmass from Denmark in 2019. Right after re-election, he began ramping up his rhetoric about acquiring it “one way or another(以某种方式；无论如何)”, threatening the Nato alliance(北约联盟) and the foundations of post-second world war security.
唐纳德·特朗普有一个颇为魔鬼般的本事：他能以错误的方式抓住正确的问题。自第一个任期以来，特朗普就对北极——尤其是格陵兰——念念不忘，这让许多人，特别是欧洲人，既困惑又愤怒。2019年，他首次提出从丹麦手中买下这块冰封陆地的想法。连任后不久，他便开始加大力度，扬言要“以某种方式”拿下格陵兰，威胁到北约联盟以及二战后安全秩序的根基。
Trump got his way – thankfully without military force – in September, when the US and Denmark signed an agreement that allowed for many more US troops on the island, albeit without the sort of takeover that the president enjoys “joking” about.(今年9月，特朗普如愿以偿——所幸没有动用武力——美国和丹麦签署了一项协议，允许更多美军进驻格陵兰岛，尽管并未实现总统喜欢“开玩笑”说的那种接管。) “The United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland,” Trump wrote on social media. “We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”
今年9月，特朗普如愿以偿——所幸没有动用武力——美国和丹麦签署了一项协议，允许更多美军进驻格陵兰岛，尽管并未实现总统喜欢“开玩笑”说的那种接管。“美国将永远拥有在格陵兰采取必要行动的完全能力，”特朗普在社交媒体上写道。“我们将与格陵兰人民合作，推动其发展与建设。”
Europeans could be forgiven for(情有可原；可以理解) doubting that the US president would help any country in its development, let alone(更不用说) Greenland. But the truth is that there is something in Trump’s obsession with a place that has more reindeer(驯鹿) than people, and he isn’t the first to suggest the US should own it; President Andrew Johnson(美国第17任总统，1867年曾提议购买格陵兰) floated(提出；试探性地建议) the idea in 1867. The fact is that since the cold war, Greenland has played a crucial role in North American security, with airfields close to the eastern seaboard, vast mineral resources and a location perfectly suited to tracking Arctic weather (something crucial to military movements).(事实上，自冷战以来，格陵兰在北美安全中一直扮演着关键角色：岛上的机场靠近美国东海岸，拥有丰富的矿产资源，地理位置又极其适合追踪北极天气（这对军事行动至关重要）。)
欧洲人怀疑这位美国总统是否真会帮助任何国家发展，更不用说格陵兰了，这种怀疑情有可原。但事实是，特朗普对这块驯鹿比人还多的地方如此执着，并非全无道理；他也不是第一个提议美国应拥有格陵兰的人——1867年，安德鲁·约翰逊总统就曾提出过这个想法。事实上，自冷战以来，格陵兰在北美安全中一直扮演着关键角色：岛上的机场靠近美国东海岸，拥有丰富的矿产资源，地理位置又极其适合追踪北极天气（这对军事行动至关重要）。
Further reading
延伸阅读