In the absence of meaningful resistance, both are likely to remain on their course, with middle powers forced to comply with their demands or face retaliation. First, middle powers should develop a new network of free-trade agreements, such as the one just reached between the EU and India. Fourth, the legitimacy of any coalition of middle powers depends on its ability to support the world’s most vulnerable economies. A united middle-power alliance would have considerable leverage, as its members would each wield outsize influence over specific domains. However, to be effective in a future middle-power alliance and address the “rupture” in the liberal international order highlighted by Carney, middle powers must reconsider their “business model.”The EU remains an “incomplete” superpower.

Source: Taipei Times February 07, 2026 16:10 UTC