February 8, 2026, 9:18 pm
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If you had asked analysts back in 2022 what countries might be facing U.S. economic and military pressure in 2026, long-term ally Denmark probably would have been near the bottom of the list.
But through January, that’s exactly what we saw. With the U.S. threatening tariffs and even suggesting military options might be on the table for force the sale or acquisition of Greenland.
In the end, what we saw (at least for now) was an eventual U.S. walk back, and little concrete to show for it other than a blow to the nation’s valuable soft power and relations with a previously close ally.
So, after a week off recovering from a virus we’re back looking at the recent crisis to ask what happened and what it may mean for the Denmark, Greenland, the U.S. and NATO going forward.
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Reading and Sourcing (partial):
Convention Between the United States and Denmark for the Cession of the Danish West Indies (1916/1
https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1917/d881
Defense of Greenland: Agreement Between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark, April 27, 1951
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/den001.asp
2004 Amendment to the 1951 Agreement
https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/04-806-Denmark-Defense.done_.pdfhttps://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/04-806-Denmark-Defense.done_.pdf
Polling on Greenland takeover (IPOS)
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/americans-oppose-using-military-force-take-possession-greenland
Russian tactics in international negotiations – A guide for American negotiators
https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-02771R000300020001-3.pdf
Reporting on some of the relevant polling and comparisons
https://theconversation.com/trumps-annexation-of-greenland-seemed-imminent-now-its-on-much-shakier-ground-273787
Reporting on "Easy Way or the Hard Way"
https://www.dw.com/en/trump-says-us-will-take-greenland-the-easy-way-or-hard-way/a-75457869
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/10/politics/us-will-take-greenland-the-hard-way-if-it-cant-do-it-the-easy-way-trump-says
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78vj5n7jg3o
Reporting on refusals to rule out the use of military force
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-06/trump-won-t-rule-out-military-force-to-acquire-greenlandv
Reporting on subsequent ruling out of force
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-reversal-greenland-followed-push-by-aides-against-military-option-sources-2026-01-22/
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/21/trump-rules-out-using-force-to-take-over-greenland-calls-for-negotiations
Victoria Cross Citation – Corporal Cameron Baird
https://www.army.gov.au/community/members-veterans/vale/corporal-cameron-baird-vc-mg
Danish Commander on Arctic security
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/danish-general-says-there-are-no-chinese-or-russian-ships-near-greenland-2026-01-16/
Source for U.S. Rep’s comments on French troops in Greenland
https://x.com/NeoWokio/status/2014753109147283579
Reporting on Hegseth’s reference to "I Saw Americans Fighting" (2024)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/25/pete-hegseth-book-attacks-nato-alliances
Reporting on Danish and allied troops arriving in Greenland
"We choose Denmark over US, Greenland’s PM says" – BBC 14 Jan
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g3kw5ezepo
Featured articles on Kallas and Russian negotiating tactics
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/09/13/eus-kallas-territorial-concessions-to-russia-would-bring-more-war-not-less/
Impact of Greenland on Danish opinion polling
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-saved-mette-frederiksen-from-electoral-oblivion/
Caveats & Comments:
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Opening Words
00:01:15 — What Am I Talking About?
00:03:50 — Strategy and Greenland
00:10:49 — the US & Greenland
00:23:41 — How It Played Out
00:28:56 — a Strategic Miscalculation
00:40:24 — Soft Power & Strategy
00:54:49 — Alternatives
00:56:13 — Winners and Losers
00:59:06 — Channel Update
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