Carney’s coalition vision depends on others stepping up
Mark Carney has become a global leader in calling for middle powers to come together as global tensions rise, but the success of his vision depends on other countries stepping up, a strategist says.
The Canadian leader wrapped up his four-day visit to Australia on Friday, leaving Canberra after giving speeches at Parliament House and the Lowy Institute in Sydney.
Political strategist Jack Milroy said Carney had a “rock star welcome” from across the political spectrum, signaling his growing reputation as a global figure following his widely praised speech to the World Economic Forum in January.
Carney further expanded on this message during his visit, arguing that the post-war international order was collapsing and calling on middle powers to cooperate in response to increasing geopolitical competition.
“Middle powers have more power than most people think,” he said at the Lowy Institute.
“Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea: This coalition has a larger GDP than the United States, three times China’s trade flows (and) the largest research and development spending in the world.”
Mr Milroy said it was now up to other countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea to stand up to the US and China as tariffs and conflicts continued.
“If it’s just run by Carney, it won’t work in the long run, and I think he’ll be the first to say that,” he said.
“This will largely depend on what we see from other middle powers in the next three to six months.”
Mr Milroy said Mr Carney’s middle power approach could see Australia and Canada acting as connectors in different regions.
For example, he said, Australia could bring together partners in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, while Canada could bring together countries with cultural or linguistic ties in Europe or Francophone Africa.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was trying to improve relations with other middle powers, but also not forgetting Australia’s historic alliance with the United States.
“My invitation to the G7, Prime Minister Carney’s coming here even in a time of global turmoil, is an indication of the priority Canada gives to this relationship,” he said.
Mr. Carney appeared to backtrack on his initial support for U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing as the conflict escalated that those strikes violated international law.
Both leaders called for a de-escalation of the conflict, but Mr Albanese said Australia wanted the war to “achieve the objectives” and that the possibility of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons should be eliminated.
Prime Ministers also announced plans to increase joint investment in critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and sensitive defense technologies.
“Given the amount of rare earths coming from Australia and Canada, preventing other powers from establishing a monopoly on rare earth extraction is a really important piece that comes out of this visit,” Mr Milroy said.
