The multilateral institutions on which middle powers relied— the WTO, the UN, the COP—the architecture of collective problem solving — are greatly diminished. This rebuilds sovereignty — sovereignty which was once grounded in rules—but which will be increasingly anchored in the ability to withstand pressure. The question for middle powers, like Canada, is not whether to adapt to this new reality. Middle powers do not. What would it mean for middle powers to “live in truth”?

Source: National Post January 20, 2026 18:06 UTC