While Europe is not just another middle power, nor is it a great power with sufficient economic, military, and geopolitical clout to dictate terms on the global stage. Instead, Europe is the ideal candidate to convene and lead a group of like-minded middle powers, not as a US-style hegemon, but as a first among equals.
MILAN—At the World Economic Forum’s 2026 meeting in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described a “rupture” in the world order and called on middle powers to “act together.” Whereas great powers can afford (for now) to “go it alone” in this new Hobbesian world, he warned, middle powers must come to the table or risk being “on the menu.” But while some might see the European Union as a natural partner for such efforts, it appears to view itself as something more.
MILAN—At the World Economic Forum’s 2026 meeting in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described a “rupture” in the world order and called on middle powers to “act together.” Whereas great powers can afford (for now) to “go it alone” in this new Hobbesian world, he warned, middle powers must come to the table or risk being “on the menu.” But while some might see the European Union as a natural partner for such efforts, it appears to view itself as something more.