Overview
- At Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the postwar rules-based order a “lie” and urged countries and companies to “take their signs down.”
- The Globe and Mail argues Carney misapplied Vaclav Havel’s parable, noting that alliances like NATO and past U.S. trade deals were voluntary and largely mutually beneficial.
- Prospect highlights Carney’s admission that Western commitment to international law has been selective, citing disparate responses to Gaza, Sudan and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
- Channel NewsAsia, relaying the Financial Times’ analysis, warns that without a coordinating hegemon, disorder or new superpower dominance is more likely than a loose middle-power equilibrium.
- Analysts say any workable alternative requires institutional anchors and a shared values base, with the EU seen as the only actor large enough to lead, even as Carney’s recent China partnership underscores practical tensions.