Davos 2026: Mark Carney Criticizes US, Questions Rules-Based Global Order

Davos 2026: Mark Carney Warns “Rules-Based Order Is a Lie,” Europe Joins Criticism of US

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a stark assessment of the international system, declaring that the era of American-led global order has effectively ended.

“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said. “The old order is not coming back.” Without naming the United States or President Donald Trump, he criticized what he called “American hegemony,” arguing that great powers are now weaponizing economic integration, turning trade rules, financial systems, and supply chains into tools of leverage and coercion.

Carney called on Canada to adopt a “principled and pragmatic” approach, strengthening domestic capacity while diversifying trade partnerships. He warned that reliance on a single partner is increasingly risky and emphasized the need for middle powers to build coalitions with like-minded nations. “If you are not at the table, you are on the menu,” he said.

The Canadian leader acknowledged that multilateral institutions, including the WTO and UN, have weakened, forcing nations to act more independently. While warning that a “world of fortresses” would make countries poorer and more fragile, Carney concluded with a message of cautious optimism: “From the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, and more just.”

European Leaders Join Criticism

French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned US actions at the forum, warning against what he called Trump’s “new colonialism.” Macron criticized threats to impose tariffs on countries opposing a US takeover of Greenland, calling the approach “fundamentally unacceptable.”

“We prefer respect to bullies, and rule of law to brutality,” Macron said. He described the US demands for “maximum concessions” and trade penalties as attempts to weaken and subordinate Europe, highlighting the challenge for multilateral cooperation in an increasingly tense global environment.

President Trump is expected to address the Davos forum later, after weeks of escalating rhetoric about acquiring Greenland, including threats of tariffs on countries resisting US ambitions in the Arctic.