The “middle powers”, the nations of the democratic west outside the US, do not have passively to accept that the old world of “institutions and rules” has been replaced by a new world of “strongmen and deals”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/23/world-punches-back-donald-trump-went-too-far-davos
Posted by cheese1971
19 Comments
the ‘middle powers’ are the nuclear armed countries below the superpower tier but above the regional powers which lack nuclear weapons, I assume?
« Strongmen » … as I recall the orange guy was totaly strong with the weaks and weak with the strongs.Not totaly sure « strongmen » is the good word.
« Deals » neither, they are pathological liers their words are meaningless.
This whole article just argues for NATO without the USA, and then ends claiming the UK and EU will magically solve the issues that have existed since Brexit with trade.
Sadly, I really think the article is missing why reform is popular. This is not the answer.
We need the support of our middle power allies right now… since we’ve been threatened again today 🇨🇦
There is no new world of strongman and deals. The shit with Trump is so stupifly unstable its guaranteed to fall flat on its face at eariest possible opportunity. Its very much a self correcting problem.
They tried that with the Non-Aligned Movement during the cold war and failed. I sincerely wished it would be successful this time. But if the EU cannot even agree amongst themselves, I fear an alliance of middle power across the globe is almost impossible.
I get a feeling reading this and similar pieces, that it’s these authors merely soothing themselves. Like trying to rationalise away what their lying-eyes just saw.
Like they’re in the bargaining phase of grief.
I think they’re fine opinions, they just don’t reflect reality. The reality is that Trump got stopped from grabbing Greenland by internal opposition from the GOP legislators, whose support he would definitely have required.
But had he gone through with it, not a single bullet would even have needed to be fired. They would have just made a declaration, and neither Denmark nor anyone else would have ordered any military action be taken to eject the already present American soldiers.
It would have been bitter, and sad, and shameful, but it’s the truth, and we came within a few centimetres of having the whole world truly witness the reality that not many of us are willing to accept.
If that’s the case why is the EU still dealing with Russia on gas and oil? I just learnt it last month and I was shocked, cause the Ukraine war has been for 4 years and you would think it stopped a long time ago already.
Worse, the EU is pumping economies like China and other authoritarian countries by taking up huge amount of trade deficits from them. It is like suicidally stupid.
The EU has the most beautiful speeches or slogans but their actions are actually financially supporting the “strongmen and deals” culture of the authoritarian bloc. I don’t know if the EU even realizes that, or is just incapable of acting on the values it is advocating for.
I have to say I’m with Canada on this. The old world can’t be re-made with the US, China and Russia on the sidelines. Much of the old ‘rules based order’ was lip service anyway, with a lot of rules being quietly bent or ignored when it suited.
Of course not. Also, because fascism and authoritarianism never achieve much when they run for some years. In the end people will long for normal democratic politics and government action based on rules again.
Good! Having a strong group of linked middle powers is good and safe for a liberal democratic world order. And…God willing the US gets out of this current stupidity, this will make for an EQUAL and strong partner.
We can totally build a new bloc of powers to rival, but in reality, eclipse, the decrepit and dying United States of America. In every sense of the word, we can eclipse them. We can also do it while respecting “international law”.
But that’s not who international law is for. It’s not for the peaceful, the non imperialistic, the decent. It’s supposed to be for the antagonistic, the bellicose, and those who scoff those weaker than them.
Only, even with our powerful new league, that will continue to be the case. Putin, Netanyahu, and Trump will never be brought to The Hague. In fact, call me when the ICC picks up the small fry Ensign that pushed the fire button on those Venuezalan fishing boats. It wont happen, and we are wasting neaural energy thinking about it.
So the reality is both parts of the statement are true.cwe can, and will, be powerful enough to resist the threats and bullying of aggressor states, while maintaing law and good governance. But the rest of the world is not, and we have no ability to force them to.
The “middle powers” need to start enriching uranium and develop a ballistic missiles program. If all the old treaties are being ignored than so should the Non-Proloferation of Nuclear weapons treaty.
Everyone laughs at Kim dynasty, but they’be got a measure of sovereignty that the “Big Three” respect due to nukes.
Both Carney and Zelenskyy had good speeches at Davos regarding the middle powers. Worth listening to both of those speeches if you have the time.
Maybe the UK would consider joining a multilateral institution right on its doorstep which kind of specializes in protecting the interests of its members
Then get american bases out of your countries.
Europe became a continent of Marshmallow. Too gentle for fighting for its life, too spoiled, too fat ass. It won’t last a single attack of the evil “east” and wave that little white flags like its teletubbies parade. It has only unprofessional ridiculous pride left.
If we wanna impose institutions and rules on others, we have to incentivize following them, sometimes force it through.
Are we willing to do that? USA breaking with the norm has been an unwelcome surprise, but its not like they are alone in this. Large parts of the world does not subscribe to our values.
Global norms require global policies. The same Guardian, that writes in favor this while its all talk, is the same Guardian that calls it neocolonialism and whatnot, if someone actually takes action. IMHO these kinda comments are mostly fluff pieces.
Multipolarity will lead to competition of norms, its part of the deal. We can either accept that, or we can fight for a reemergence of a unipolar world order (I doubt we will, though).
Majority of UN members are not democracies with freedom of speech and freedom of press. If a somewhat democratic hegemon goes rogue and steps down, and other democracies are fine with being middle powers, what we surely won’t see is values of said democracies being propagated further, than before.
What rubbish us and whose army?