Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said today that the United States鈥憀ed global system of governance is enduring 鈥渁 rupture鈥 defined by great power competition and a 鈥渇ading鈥 rules鈥慴ased order.
Carney delivered his stirring speech to political and financial elites at the World Economic Forum, a day before US President Donald Trump was set to address the gathering in Davos, Switzerland.
Since entering Canadian politics last year, Carney has repeatedly warned that the world was not going to return to a pre鈥慣rump normal.
He re鈥慳ffirmed that message in a speech that did not name Trump but offered an analysis of the President鈥檚 impact on global affairs.
鈥淲e are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,鈥 Carney said.
He noted that Canada had benefitted from the old 鈥渞ules鈥慴ased international order鈥, including from 鈥淎merican hegemony鈥 that 鈥渉elped provide public goods: open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes鈥.
A new reality has set in, Carney said.
鈥淐all it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion.鈥
鈥極n the menu鈥
In an apparent warning against efforts to appease major powers, Carney said countries like Canada can no longer hope that 鈥渃ompliance will buy safety鈥.
鈥淚t won鈥檛,鈥 he said.
鈥淭he question for middle powers, like Canada, is not whether to adapt to this new reality. We must.
鈥淭he question is whether we adapt by simply building higher walls - or whether we can do something more ambitious.
鈥淢iddle powers must act together, because if we鈥檙e not at the table, we鈥檙e on the menu,鈥 Carney said.
鈥淕reat powers can afford for now to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity, and the leverage to dictate terms. Middle powers do not.鈥
Carney delivered his Davos speech after Canada鈥檚 Globe and Mail newspaper reported that the Canadian military has developed a model response to a US invasion.
Citing two unnamed senior government officials, the paper said the Canadian response model centres on insurgency鈥憇tyle tactics, like those used in Afghanistan by fighters who resisted Soviet and later US forces.
After Trump鈥檚 2024 election and in the early months of his new term, he repeatedly referred to the US鈥 northern neighbour as the 51st state and said a merger would benefit Canada.
Trump鈥檚 annexation talk has eased in recent months, but overnight he posted an image on his social media platform of a map showing Canada, Greenland, and Venezuela covered in the US flag, implying a full American takeover.
The Davos meeting has been overshadowed by Trump鈥檚 threats to enforce US control over Greenland, with the President vowing that his plan for the autonomous Danish territory was irreversible.
鈥淐anada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully supports their unique right to determine Greenland鈥檚 future,鈥 Carney said.
- Agence France-Presse
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