Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that the postwar global order led by the United States is breaking down, urging so-called middle powers to coordinate their response as great power rivalry intensifies.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Carney framed the moment as a fundamental shift in geopolitics rather than a temporary disruption, against the backdrop of escalating tensions over Greenland and trade.
Middle powers face a changed global order
In his address to political and financial leaders, Carney said the world was no longer operating under a stable, rules-based system. “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” he said, arguing that powerful nations are increasingly using economic tools as instruments of coercion.
“Great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited,” Carney said.
Without naming US President Donald Trump directly, Carney’s remarks appeared aimed at Washington’s recent actions, including tariff threats against European allies and pressure over Greenland.
He warned that middle powers such as Canada could no longer rely on historic alliances or geography for protection.
“Middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu,” Carney said. “Great 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.”
Carney added that countries like Canada could not assume that “compliance will buy safety.” “It won’t,” he said.
Canada, Nato and Greenland
Carney reaffirmed Canada’s support for Greenland, Denmark, and the Nato alliance, drawing applause from the Davos audience.
“Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully supports their unique right to determine Greenland’s future,” he said.
“Our commitment to Article Five is unwavering,” Carney added, referring to Nato’s collective defence clause that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
The comments come as Trump has intensified rhetoric around acquiring Greenland, refusing to rule out the use of force, and threatening tariffs of up to 25% on European countries that back Denmark.
Asked how far he would go, Trump said: “You’ll find out.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen warned this week that the island’s population of about 57,000 must be prepared for “everything,” including military force, even if it remains unlikely.
Denmark’s armed forces have said they are strengthening their presence in Greenland and the North Atlantic.
Canadian media also reported that Ottawa is considering sending a small contingent of troops to Greenland for Nato exercises.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada “regularly participate[s] in Nato exercises,” adding that future deployments are decided by defence officials.
Economic coercion and Canada’s strategic shift
Carney said Canada had benefited from the old international order, including “American hegemony” that helped provide “open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes.” That environment, he said, is fading.
“Call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion,” Carney said.
Since entering Canadian politics in 2025, Carney has repeatedly warned that the world would not return to a pre-Trump status quo.
He reiterated that message in Davos, saying Canada is now focused on engaging with a wider range of partners and building “different coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests.”
He pitched Canada as a “stable and reliable” partner, pointing to recent trade and investment agreements with China and Qatar, as well as a defence procurement pact signed with the European Union last year.
Carney’s speech came a day before Trump was due to address the forum, with the Davos meeting overshadowed by growing transatlantic strains.
As leaders gathered in Switzerland, Carney’s message was that adaptation is unavoidable — and that middle powers must cooperate if they are to shape, rather than be shaped by, the emerging global order.
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