Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged on Thursday “middle powers” like Canada and Australia to work together in a world increasingly dominated by hegemonic great powers as he addressed Canberra’s parliament.
“The question today for middle powers like us is whether we establish the conventions and help write the new rules that will determine our security and prosperity,” Carney told members of both houses of Australia’s legislature.
Or, he warned, they would be forced to “let the hegemons dictate outcomes in the new global environment”.
“In this brave new world, middle powers cannot simply build higher walls and retreat behind them. We must work together,” he said.
“Great powers can compel, but compulsion comes with costs, both reputational and financial,” the former central banker added.
Carney spoke in the nation’s capital on the third day of an official visit to Australia, a trip aimed at bringing in investment and deepening ties with a fellow “middle power” partner.
But the visit has been overshadowed by escalating war in the Middle East, sparked by a US-Israeli strike on Iran that killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Both Australia and Canada have backed that action, but Carney warned on Wednesday that it was likely “inconsistent” with international law.
He has also called for a de-escalation of the conflict and for all parties to follow the international rules of engagement.
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