Podcast Summary: UnHerd with Freddie Sayers

Episode: Why America REALLY wants Greenland
Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Freddie Sayers (UnHerd)
Guests: Henrik Dahl (Danish MEP), Professor Helen Thompson (Cambridge Political Economy), Dr. Pippa Malmgren (Economist, former US Presidential Advisor)

Episode Overview

This in-depth episode examines the increasingly heated, and now credible, proposals by the US Trump administration to acquire Greenland from Denmark. Host Freddie Sayers brings together diverse voices: a Danish politician for perspective from the nation that currently holds Greenland, a historian of energy and geopolitics for the big-picture strategic context, and an expert in Arctic and space race politics for a cutting-edge analysis of why Greenland suddenly matters so much. The discussion covers history, legal treaties, military and resource competition, sovereignty, and, centrally, the new frontiers of global confrontation—from rare earth mining to satellite dominance and the unraveling of transatlantic trust.

Key Segments & Timestamps

1. The Danish Perspective: Henrik Dahl on Sovereignty, Security & Sentiment

Starts at: 01:03

Main Points

• Public Anxiety and Historical Context

  • Renewed US interest in "getting Greenland" is not viewed in Denmark as an amusing sideshow—this time there is real anxiety, given US officials' persistent repetition of the idea.
    • Quote: "The reason we are more concerned this time is that the idea...has been repeated so many times. So there has to be some kind of substance to it." — Henrik Dahl (03:53)

• Emotional and Legal Bonds

  • Greenland is emotionally significant for Danes: centuries of relationship, kinship, and community—not just a distant territory.
  • Denmark’s legal claim: the 1916 US-Danish treaty transferring the Virgin Islands to the US, in which America formally recognized full Danish sovereignty over Greenland.
    • Quote: "There is a declaration...signed by Robert Lansing...stating that the United States fully recognizes Danish sovereignty over Greenland. So that's sort of the modern legal underpinning." — Henrik Dahl (05:31)

• Security Claims and US Criticisms

  • The Trump administration argues Denmark can’t secure Greenland against Russian/Chinese influence. Dahl says such claims are exaggerated and largely untrue; dangerous Arctic waters deter naval incursions.
    • Quote: "As far as the Russian and Chinese ships are concerned, they are wrong...It is very dangerous to navigate the Greenlandic waters. So that part...is just not true." — Henrik Dahl (08:56)

• US Military Presence

  • Oddly, US military installations in Greenland have shrunk in recent decades—if the US is so concerned, why haven’t they increased their presence?
    • Quote: "Why have you diminished your military presence in Greenland?...So if the whole thing is so important, why is your presence so small in comparison with 50 years ago?" — Henrik Dahl (09:53)

• Greenland’s Right to Decide

  • If Greenland votes for US sovereignty, Denmark would accept it, as it’s constitutionally Greenland’s right, but warns of massive economic downsides for Greenlanders.
    • Quote: "It's their constitutional right and we would not challenge their constitutional rights. So...if a majority of the Greenland population decided...we would accept that." — Henrik Dahl (12:13)

2. The Big Picture: Prof. Helen Thompson on History, Security, and Resources

Starts at: 16:51

Main Points

• Geopolitical Legacy: The Monroe Doctrine

  • US interest is longstanding—it’s anomalous and, to Washington, unacceptable for a European power to own territory in the Western Hemisphere.
    • Quote: "Greenland is essentially formally the territory of a European power, yet it is in the Western Hemisphere. And as far as the US has been concerned since the 19th century, European powers don't belong in the Western Hemisphere." — Helen Thompson (17:18)

• Security > Resources (for now)

  • The “Greenland, Iceland, UK gap” has always been vital in US defense calculations—especially during the Cold War, when Greenland was a potential vector for Soviet attack.
  • US-Danish agreements since 1951 give America near-complete military freedom in Greenland already.

• Sovereignty & Security Intertwined

  • Denmark’s inability to provide for Greenland’s defense raises questions—even in international law—about whether it should be considered truly sovereign there.
    • Quote: "To be a sovereign power means to be able to provide for your own security. And if you can't do that, you're not sovereign." — Helen Thompson (22:00)

• Resources and Rare Earths

  • Greenland has significant rare earth deposits; though currently mining is paused, the Trump administration has made clear it objects to Chinese involvement in extracting any Western Hemisphere resources.
    • Quote: "There are fairly abundant rare earths on Greenland...the US does not want China investing in resource extraction in the Western Hemisphere." — Helen Thompson (26:30)

• Is This Just Realpolitik?

  • Thompson cautions about seeing this as “business as usual”—the US, in competition with a resurgent China and in a post-liberal world order, is shifting towards more open, transactional, and forceful moves.
    • Quote: "I think it's a turning point...the United States rose...as imperial China...was entering its twilight years. Once you have the return of...China, then—almost by necessity—the United States is going to be a different kind of power." — Helen Thompson (31:40)

3. Rarely Discussed Drivers: Dr. Pippa Malmgren on Space & The Arctic’s New Role

Starts at: 35:58

Main Points

• Space: The Overlooked Driver

  • Control of the Arctic—including Greenland—is now crucial for space infrastructure. Satellite data and connections to subsea cables all converge near the poles; the main ground links are in Svalbard (Norway) and Greenland.
    • Quote: "The number one reason is never mentioned and that is space...Greenland has the second main space base after Svalbard." — Pippa Malmgren (36:28)
    • "[The Arctic] has become central to the global digital economy. Now we've just appointed in the United States, Jared Isaacson to run NASA. He has been crystal clear that space is no longer about just scientific discovery, it's about strategic security dominance." (38:14)

• Strategic Military Location

  • The “GIUK gap” (Greenland-Iceland-UK) is vital for monitoring Russian submarines and securing North Atlantic approaches—the US prizes control here.

• Transatlantic Distrust

  • Trump’s team increasingly sees Western Europe as politically antagonistic, with Denmark specifically viewed as obstructive and as having “let go” of Greenland by devolving power to it.
    • Quote: "Their view is that Denmark devolved political authority to Greenland over recent years...Trump is...reaching out to the Greenlanders who are fundamentally Inuit populations...Let's cut a deal." — Pippa Malmgren (44:13)
  • Behind the scenes, Malmgren links this to suspicions about European funding of US opposition movements and intelligence distrust.

• Espionage, Domestic Politics, & NATO

  • The US is re-evaluating intelligence cooperation with Europe, and some in Washington now view European governments as “part of their political enemy group.”
    • Quote: "The President is increasingly of the view that Europe is the main obstacle, that China, Russia, the Middle East can all come to some kind of an arrangement, but Europe won't allow it." — Pippa Malmgren (48:21)

• Chaos as Negotiating Tactic

  • Trump’s wild rhetoric about “taking” Greenland is seen as part of his style: “throw a grenade in,” create chaos, and then seek leverage in the aftermath.
    • Quote: "He literally throws a grenade into the room, lets it go off, creates a chaos, and then he walks in and says, let's talk." — Pippa Malmgren (45:55)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Henrik Dahl (on Denmark's anxiety):
  "There is general anxiety because we have heard the idea of acquiring Greenland before...The reason we are more concerned this time is that the idea...has been repeated so many times. So there has to be some kind of substance to it." (03:53)

• Prof. Helen Thompson (on rare earths):
  "The fundamental issue here is rare earths...the US does not want China investing in resource extraction in the Western Hemisphere...it has taken a decision I think to push back against that. That doesn't mean there's an immediate payoff for that. It's a statement." (27:00)

• Pippa Malmgren (on space):
  "You need to be in the Arctic, because...all of the communications that really matter, especially for strategic security purposes...feed to really one main connection point...Svalbard in Norway...Greenland has the second main space base after Svalbard." (36:28)

• Freddie Sayers (skepticism on US-Europe distrust):
  "If [Vice President] J.D. Vance thinks a big strategic threat is that the United Kingdom is going to have an Islamo-fascist government anytime soon...he's got his priorities all wrong because that's just not real." (42:15)

Concluding Thoughts

• All three experts agree: The US’s designs on Greenland—unthinkable for decades—are now very real, and motivated by a complex intersection of old geopolitics, new technology (especially space infrastructure), military rivalry, resource scarcity, and domestic political distrust.
• For Denmark and Europe: There’s anxiety, but also resignation—without US support, they can't defend Greenland, and the evolving US-Europe relationship is fraying.
• For America: Greenland is the tip of a strategic iceberg—the Western Hemisphere must be controlled, not just for oil or minerals, but as the linchpin for the battles of the 21st century: digital, space, and political.
• The rules-based international order? The guests suggest it was always partly an illusion, but acknowledge that the US-Trump turn is a historic shift, not an ordinary phase.

Table of Key Segments

| Segment | Time | Main Contributor | Key Theme | |----------------------------------|---------|----------------------|-----------------------------------------| | Danish View & Sovereignty | 01:03 | Henrik Dahl | Legal, emotional, security objections | | US Historical & Strategic Motive | 16:51 | Helen Thompson | Monroe Doctrine, Cold War, resources | | Rare Earths, Realpolitik | 26:16 | Helen Thompson | Resource strategy, US/China rivalry | | Space & Arctic Infrastructure | 35:58 | Pippa Malmgren | Satellites, subsea cables, space race | | US-Europe Distrust | 45:10 | Pippa Malmgren | NATO friction, intelligence, politics | | Conclusion | 50:12 | Freddie Sayers | Synthesis of key motives/drivers |

For New Listeners

This episode offers a comprehensive look at why Greenland—long viewed as remote and peripheral—has become one of the most contested chess pieces of global politics. It goes far beyond the headlines, moving from treaty history to Arctic militarization to the invisible infrastructure of the digital age, and reveals not just the raw power politics, but the psychic rift opening between America and its erstwhile European allies. A must-listen (or must-read!) for anyone trying to understand the drivers of uncertainty in the coming decade.