Mark Carney Declares End of US-Led World Order in Davos

DAVOS (Azat TV) – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, elected in 2025, sparked widespread debate last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos when he declared the definitive end of the United States-underwritten world order that has prevailed since the post-World War II era. Carney’s bold assertion called on nations to abandon the “lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination” and to collectively build an alternative global architecture that bypasses the influence of great powers.

Addressing a cosmopolitan gathering in the Swiss Alps, Prime Minister Carney articulated a vision of a world where the organizing principle of interdependence, once thought to promote peace and prosperity, no longer functions. He attributed this rupture to the United States’ actions, particularly under recent administrations, which he argued had undermined the very rules they helped establish. Carney emphasized that global powers are increasingly weaponizing economic integration, using tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, and supply chains as vulnerabilities.

Prime Minister Carney’s Vision for a New Global Architecture

Carney’s address was a significant policy statement from the newly elected Liberal Party leader, signaling a potential shift in Canada’s international stance. He challenged nations to accept the loss of American leadership and to combine forces to create a “third path with impact,” rather than competing for favor from existing dominant powers. This call for a new, independent global architecture resonated with many, with his analysis ‘catching like wildfire’ across international forums, according to The Guardian.

His remarks were closely followed by similar sentiments from other European leaders. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, opening the Munich Security Conference weeks later, echoed Carney, stating that “the international order based on rights and rules is currently being destroyed” and that the “leadership claim of the US is being challenged, perhaps already lost.” Reports prepared for the Munich gathering further underscored this sentiment, noting that allies could no longer rely on a shared understanding of international principles, perceiving Washington as having ‘betrayed that understanding.’

International Reactions and the Challenge of a ‘Third Path’

The concept of a ‘third path’ faces significant practical hurdles. While leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron have called for Europe to become a ‘geopolitical power’ and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged the building of ‘hard power,’ the actual implementation of such a strategy remains complex. Former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda expressed skepticism, stating that ‘What Carney proposes is not viable’ due to a lack of countries with the capacity or willingness to explicitly decouple from Washington’s trajectory.

Despite the challenges, uncoordinated efforts to build defenses against a more aggressive global environment are emerging. New trade pacts and strategic agreements are sprouting, and discussions about financial decoupling from the dollar, favoring the euro or yuan, are gaining traction. Prime Minister Carney himself visited Beijing just days before his Davos speech, reflecting a broader trend among some nations, including those in Southeast Asia, Brazil, and South Africa, to seek counterbalances to the United States through engagement with China.

The Legacy of the US-Led Order and Future Uncertainties

The American-led order, despite its hypocrisies and instances of imposition, did provide valuable public goods, including a framework for a liberal global economy, the stability of the dollar, and a regime of collective security. However, the current shift leaves a vacuum. Many US allies, such as Japan and the European Union, remain heavily dependent on American security guarantees and economic ties, making a complete break difficult. NATO chief Mark Rutte candidly stated that Europe cannot defend itself without the US, emphasizing mutual need.

The current environment highlights the difficulty for even like-minded countries to form concrete alliances. Recent events, such as the European Parliament’s challenge to a long-negotiated trade agreement with Mercosur due to farm lobby opposition, illustrate the fragility of such efforts. Even Canada, despite Carney’s bold stance, sees two-thirds of its exports go to the United States, linking its prosperity tightly to its neighbor’s economy.

The Looming Specter of ‘No Order At All’

While some leaders, like Wolfgang Ischinger, chair of the Munich conference, still hope for a ‘constructive transatlantic reset,’ Prime Minister Carney’s assessment of a ‘rupture not a transition’ appears increasingly prescient. The consensus among many international observers is that the multilateral, globalized order may be replaced not by a new order, but by ‘no order at all’—a fragmented system lacking agreed-upon guidelines for trade, finance, or international law.

China, while a significant global power, shows little interest in taking on the mantle of liberal multilateral leadership, often prioritizing its mercantilistic tactics. This absence of a clear leader capable of forging a new international architecture risks a world pulled apart by uncoordinated, ad-hoc deals based on narrow self-interest rather than shared values. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, whose thinking Carney cited approvingly, describes this as a ‘new world of disorder’ comparable to other historical watersheds, suggesting the next decade will shape the global order for decades to come.

The implications of Prime Minister Carney’s declaration are profound, signaling a potential shift from a rules-based system, however flawed, to a more transactional and potentially perilous international landscape where power dynamics will increasingly dictate global affairs.