At the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos this week, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney delivered an address that some are comparing to Winston Churchill’s 1940 speech at the House of Commons. As global tensions continue to mount worldwide, Carney urges world leaders to shift from the American hegemony that has held sway for decades towards a principled, pragmatic approach for world peace and unity.
We are in the Midst of a Rupture, Not a Transition
Recent years have shown significant rises in global crises. These range from energy shortages and health concerns to climate, finance, and geopolitics. Furthermore, acts of aggression from some countries towards others have remained unchecked. These actions have been mostly glossed over in favor of keeping the peace and maintaining open trade routes.
Prime Minister Carney condemned this behavior, saying that most countries played along to live within the lie of mutual benefit.
Instead, he is urging a global approach of “values-based realism”. This is a world in which human rights and sovereignty are valued higher than power plays. Manipulative tactics such as “economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, and supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited” will no longer be tolerated, let alone supported.
One of Carney’s most poignant quotes was: “Nostalgia is not a strategy.” This is in reference to the illusion we’ve been clinging to of a world that’s fair and just for all. Countless discrepancies in international law and justice have been made abundantly clear in recent years. Rules and punishment only seem to apply to certain countries, while others bear no negative consequences. We have seen international “law” and “justice” applied on a sliding scale, depending on who’s on the receiving end.
Related Article: The U.S. Assault on Venezuela and its Global Repercussions
“The Old Order is Not Coming Back”
US President Donald Trump recently asserted that he doesn’t need international law. In fact, he stated that his own mind and morality are the only things that can stop him. This is reminiscent of what Lindsey Graham said in 2024 about how the International Criminal Court (ICC), particularly the Rome Statute — which punishes war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity — “…doesn’t apply to Israel, or the United States, or France, or Germany, or Great Britain, because it wasn’t conceived of to come after us.”
This “rules for thee, but not for me” approach is exactly what Carney addressed in his speech. He brought particular attention to the breakdown of the illusion of rules-based international order. To counter the continued rise of hard power rivalry worldwide, the Canadian PM called for middle power countries to unify in service to the global community. He asked that everyone stops “living within the lie” about power and justice worldwide, so the same standards can be applied to both rivals and allies, and that countries work together to build a world that more sustainable, more cooperative, and more resilient.
In response, Trump chastised Canada’s PM for being “ungrateful” for the benefits he feels the US bestows upon its northern neighbors. He also said: “Canada lives because of the United States. Remember that, Mark, next time you make your statements.”
You can read Prime Minister Mark Carney’s full address speech here.
Featured Image © the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026, Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0