Noshing With Mark Kawar – September 24, 2026
Author, America, but Bigger: Near-Annexations, from Greenland to the Galapagos
What if Greenland, Mexico, the Galápagos Islands — or even parts of Indonesia, Syria, or Russia — had become part of the United States?
Those may sound like alternate-history fantasies, but according to Mark Kawar, they were real possibilities at various points in American history.
In this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Mark, author of America, but Bigger: Near-Annexations, from Greenland to the Galapagos, talks about the fascinating history of America’s attempts, interests and ambitions to expand its territory.
Mark explains why he began writing the book in 2019, why Greenland provides such a timely bookend to the story, and how America has continued to expand its influence without necessarily adding new territory. We talk about the difference between annexation and influence, the surprising story of Rio Rico, tiny potential acquisitions in the Caribbean, the United States’ interest in the Galápagos Islands, and the concept of Manifest Destiny in the 21st century.
We also explore countries and territories that at various points might have preferred U.S. annexation or statehood, the unique position of the Marshall Islands, and what American history might look like if some of those possibilities had actually happened.
Would the United States have looked very different if Greenland — or all of Mexico — had become part of America?
Mark Kawar takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of near-annexations, American expansion, territorial ambitions and global influence.
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ABOUT MARK:
Mark Kawar is the author of America, but Bigger, a narrative history of the many times the United States could have expanded beyond its current borders. The book examines failed attempts to annex places from Canada, to Cuba, to Greenland, and beyond, and what those moments reveal about how Americans once debated power, borders, and empire.
His writing has appeared in The New Republic, American Heritage, Law & Liberty, and The Hill. He lives in Falls Church, Virginia.
America But Bigger Website