By: Anshul Shah, Opinions Desk Editor
On Jan. 20, 2026, Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, outlined his “principled” and “pragmatic” vision of the goals of Canada in navigating an increasingly challenged order. Standing at the Davos World Economic Forum before a slew of disgruntled political leaders, economic heavyweights, global celebrities, among others, Carney focused on his perceived observance of a “ruptured” rule-based international order and the challenges faced by great power rivalry.
Carney’s comments drew a standing ovation upon reception at Davos. His remarks echoed a fearful sentiment of irresponsible global leadership. In this era where great powers, most notably the United States, contest one another strategically, the only path forward for the “middle powers” was to unite and restore global order and stability.
Hence, instead of continuing their violation of the rules-based international order through weaponized tariffs and other means of economic coercion, the United States should focus on addressing global challenges and disagreements through balanced diplomacy and civil dialogue.
Carney’s argument predicts the rise of not a bipolar order, like the one that defined politics during the Cold War, but rather a multipolar order, dominated by multiple powers. This emerging order chafes at the supremacy that the US has held over the planet for nearly three decades after the collapse of their chief rival, the Soviet Union.
For decades, the United States had served as the architect and chief enforcer of the liberal international order, an interconnected system of trade agreements, multilateral institutions, and shared norms designed to prevent the catastrophic economic and political volatility that defined the first half of the twentieth century.
This unofficial role has come into question following US President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, where the United States began to pursue an aggressive foreign policy, partially motivated by Trump’s “America First” conservative ideology. Seeking to discourage foreign “exploitation” of the American market, the Trump administration levied a series of protectionist measures towards key U.S. industries.
These measures included the imposition of tariffs against not only U.S. adversaries, but also U.S. allies. Canada, for instance, faced a sweeping 25% tariff on its exports to the US, a striking rebuke of a decades-long economic partnership codified under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Similar levies were imposed on European Union member states, Japan, and South Korea, whose security Washington simultaneously guarantees.
By weaponizing economic interdependence against its own partners, Washington did not merely strain bilateral relationships; it effectively delegitimized its own authority as the steward of that order.
Equally important, inappropriate leverage of economic and financial authority for coercion provides moral and economic justification for the expansionist and hegemonic ambitions of emerging multipolar heavyweights, namely Russia and China, whose efforts threaten American national interests and security in their respective regions.
This is precisely the vulnerability that Carney identified at Davos. When the world’s preeminent power behaves unpredictably and transactionally, smaller nations have little choice but to forge alternative coalitions for stability. The cruel irony is that in attempting to assert dominance through economic pressure, the United States has inadvertently accelerated the very multipolar transition it seeks to prevent.
These trends could deepen global fragmentation. Dynamic and resilient postcolonial nations will rise and challenge American preeminence in nearly all aspects of international politics, economy, and technology. Many of these states will almost certainly be attracted to one another, forming their own blocs to reduce reliance on a reckless and volatile America.
If the United States wants to remain the central architect of global order, it must prove that its alliances are partnerships rather than instruments of convenience. In an increasingly globalized and multipolar planet, efforts to sustain isolationism will yield no fruit, and will only sow distrust into the international political, economic, and financial fabric of the world.
To ensure continued leadership and dominance in global affairs, the US should aim to address both of Carney’s claims.
Fundamental to successful global cooperation is civil discourse and respectful dialogue. Through affirming mutually-shared international systems, the US would inspire emerging influential countries to resort to dialogue in the face of disagreement, rather than conflict, setting the stage for a stable and peaceful multipolar order. The enrichment of these existing international cooperation systems would more effectively facilitate great powers in their navigation of complex international issues.
By adopting this stance on global affairs, the US can restore its global trust, thereby guaranteeing its future leadership in the emerging multipolar order.