Carney Warns Global Order in “Rupture” as Middle Powers Risk Being “On the Menu”

Canadian PM uses Davos speech to declare era of U.S.-led rules-based system is fading, urges coordinated response ahead of Trump address.

DAVOS, Switzerland – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a stark warning to global leaders on Tuesday, declaring the U.S.-led international order is in the midst of a “rupture” driven by great power rivalry and a fading commitment to shared rules.

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Carney argued the postwar system that provided open seas, financial stability, and collective security is being replaced by a reality where “the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion.” His speech came just a day before a scheduled address by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose policies and rhetoric have repeatedly challenged multilateral institutions.

Since entering Canadian politics last year, Carney has consistently argued the world cannot return to a “pre-Trump normal.” On Tuesday, without naming the U.S. president directly, he outlined the consequences of this shift.

“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney stated. He emphasized that middle powers like Canada can no longer assume that “compliance will buy safety.”

“It won’t,” he said bluntly.

Carney urged such nations to band together, coining a memorable caution: “Middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.” He contrasted their position with that of great powers, which he said have the “market size, military capacity, and leverage to dictate terms” to go it alone.

The prime minister’s address followed a Globe and Mail report revealing that the Canadian military has developed a contingency model for a potential U.S. invasion, focusing on insurgent-style tactics. While Trump’s recent public remarks about annexing Canada have eased since his 2024 re-election campaign, he posted a social media image this week depicting Canada and Venezuela under the U.S. flag.

The Davos meeting has also been dominated by Trump’s threats to enforce U.S. control over Greenland. Carney explicitly countered that position, affirming, “Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully supports their unique right to determine Greenland’s future.”

Carney concluded that the critical question for middle powers is not whether to adapt, but how: “whether we adapt by simply building higher walls—or whether we can do something more ambitious.”