Is Canada's PM Europe's best defender?
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, a speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attracted particular attention when he declared the end of the old rules-based order and the "beginning of a harsh reality". Carney explained that middle powers must join forces to act together against threats from the major powers. Commentators also see the need to act.
How to deal with a barbaric gang
Íñigo Domínguez, El País correspondent in Rome, sees Mark Carney as a new spokesperson for the EU:
“Europe finally has a leader. It's a shame he's Canadian, but nobody's perfect. I'm talking about Mark Carney. ... A North American Draghi, a liberal, pragmatic, decent and sensible right-winger. ... When you listen to him, you wonder why no one said this before; he talks with common sense about how to deal with Trump and his barbaric gang. ... We need a left that gives us hope, but even more urgently we need an honest right that no longer goes along with this dangerous nonsense. ... I wonder if everyone will finally understand or if it will take even worse barbarities for them to see this.”
This is about more than geography
Mark Carney has highlighted that Europe is defined not by borders but by values, Ukrainian journalist Vitaly Portnikov writes on Facebook:
“It may seem surprising that it is a non-European politician who has presented the concept for responding to the return of imperialism in its worst form. But that would be an oversimplification. First, Carney was not only head of the Bank of Canada, but also of the Bank of England. Secondly, 'Europe' is not just a geographical entity but also a system of values. And from this perspective, Canada, Greenland, Australia and New Zealand – geographically far removed from Europe – are all European countries. By contrast Russia, which covers a large part of the continent, has always had only an indirect relationship with Europe.”
EU can't "tell it like it is" yet
Expresso welcomes Carney's proposal to create a networked coalition of middle powers without the US:
“The Carney doctrine has sparked intense debate. Even if it succeeds, the process of Canada's adjustment to what we might call the 'great rupture' will be difficult and protracted. Carney has the merit of 'telling it like it is'. In Portugal and many other European countries, we are not yet able to do this. The problem is not just the lack of political options and our dilemmas in the areas of defence and the economy, but also the long process of strategic infantilisation that we have accepted out of convenience during the period of hegemonic stability in Europe guaranteed by the US.”