Carney Warns: ‘If We’re Not at the Table, We’re on the Menu’

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a blistering critique of the crumbling international rules-based order at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, earning a standing ovation for his blunt assessment of modern geopolitics. Carney argued that the long-standing ‘bargain’ of American hegemony, whereby the world accepted the ‘useful fiction’ of international law in exchange for US-provided security and stable trade, is no longer functional. He characterised the current global state not as a mere transition, but as a violent "rupture," noting that the strongest nations have historically exempted themselves from the rules whenever convenient. 

Addressing the growing fissures between superpowers, Carney warned that the enforcement of global trade and law has become increasingly asymmetrical, relying more on raw military and economic might than on shared principles. The speech comes amid unprecedented tension between Ottawa and Washington, as President Donald Trump has recently ramped up rhetoric suggesting the U.S. could make Canada its ‘51st state’ and dismissively referring to Carney as a mere ‘governor’. While Trump later doubled down on these claims by stating that "Canada lives because of the United States," Carney focused his message on the collective agency of ‘middle powers’. 

Joined in praise by leaders like Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Carney urged intermediate nations to forge a ‘third path’ rather than competing for the favour of giants. "The question for middle powers is not whether to adapt, but how," Carney told the Davos audience, concluding with a stark warning that medium-sized nations must combine their influence to secure a seat at the geopolitical table, "because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu."