“ #Carney has advanced a foreign policy that centers “ #middlepowers” and operates without the #U.S. That global reorientation has profound consequences for the #U.S.economy, as well.” open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

February 17, 2026

Listening to pundits nattering about Japan's geopolitical predicament, came across the word "コウモリ外交(kōmori-gaikō: bat diplomacy)" and found it was linked to Aesop's fable "The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat"[1]
Interesting that the moral is "He that is neither one thing nor the other has no friends"[2] and not "All is fair in love and war"[3] ...or "birds (bats, i.e. middle powers) of a feather".

1. https://classics.mit.edu/Aesop/fab.4.4.html
2. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Fables_of_%C3%86sop_(Jacobs)/The_Bat,_the_Birds,_and_the_Beasts
3. https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/alls-fair-in-love-and-war.html
#MiddlePowers

It's high time the world stuck together and turned its collective back on the #USA in every way.

(While watching out for their backstabbing attempts, of course.)

Even if the #US makes it through this #Trump nightmare, the US must NEVER be trusted again. The US is neither reliable or safe.

#power #democracy #RulesBasedOrder #greatpowers #nato #un #us #Europe #newworldorder #middlepowers

Mark Carney’s Davos speech warned that a Trump-led rupture in the global order leaves middle powers to act collectively and diversify away from U.S. dependence, with Japan uniquely exposed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/28/world/the-age-of-middle-powers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #canada #markcarney #us #donaldtrump #davos #greenland #nato #davos #middlepowers

Davos Shock: Mark Carney Urges Nations to Break Free From U.S. Coercion

At Davos, Mark Carney delivers a historic rebuke of Trump’s America, calling on nations to break free from coercion and rebuild multilateral trust.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at World Economic Forum in Davos

At Davos, Mark Carney warns the rules-based order has ruptured, urges middle powers to stop pretending, build shared resilience, and wield values-based realism to confront great-power coercion.

PM Mark Carney heads to #Australia in March, reinforcing Canada’s role as a “middle power” after his Davos remarks on resisting economic weaponization. Visit follows a growing Canada‑Australia partnership on critical minerals. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-carney-visit-australia-march-2026-01-24/ #MarkCarney #AustraliaVisit #MiddlePowers #Trade #Canada

As the world inches back to a pre-WW2 order, the 'middle powers' face a grave new challenge

#power #democracy #RulesBasedOrder #greatpowers #trump #carney #nato #un #us #Europe #newworldorder #middlepowers

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99kkerr93ko

Part of the strength of middle powers is that they are so much easier to align with for small powers, and thus it makes sense for a truckloads of us little ones to band together with the middle powers for reach and protection - in turn adding a lot to their power. We saw it with Ireland in connection to Brexit. And my country, Denmark, sees it now.

Thank you middle power, and thank you too, all our fellow small critter nations.

#Carney #Davos #MiddlePowers #Ireland #Brexit #Trump #Denmark

"If the middle powers answer Carney’s call, they could form an economic and defense alliance that rivals American power." "A nuclear-armed defense and industrial alliance that cannot simply be cowed into submission." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/opinion/canada-carney-trump-greenland-nato.html?campaign_id=301&emc=edit_ypgu_20260122&instance_id=169699&nl=your-places:-global-update&regi_id=87303496&segment_id=214082&user_id=504376192391f41889ee1725cda55125

#cdnpoli #Canada #MiddlePowers

That Board of Peace, again.
One small aspect is that the US State Dept has thrown away its professional capacity and skills. Almost any of us, myself included, could have done better in planning a path to a viable launch event.
Diplomacy with the US now routes only through Trump and a competitive scrum of courtiers.
All credit to #Kosovo in securing a bigger global profile. And to #Pakistan as the nuclear anchor of the Islamic volunteers.
1/2
#diplomacy #MiddlePowers #PoorMarco #PoorGaza

Carney’s rallying cry to ‘middle powers’ includes Australia - and we should heed his call
#MarkCarney #Canada #Australia #MiddlePowers #GlobalOrder #PostHegemony #AntiImperialism #MultipolarWorld #GlobalSouth #WesternHypocrisy #USDominance #Geopolitics
https://the-14.com/carneys-rallying-cry-to-middle-powers-includes-australia-and-we-should-heed-his-call/

I'm just following the psycho-drama of that Board of Peace. The AP says this was the state of play at 5pm today.
(Stories are circulating that UK and Germany have also made decisions too ... )
#diplomacy #MiddlePowers
https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-gaza-board-of-peace-a4a296f736474e8c6a4edacd7109b8e5

The Guardian: "For the first time in decades, many western leaders have come to the opposite conclusion: they will function better without the US." #middlepowers #Canada #France #EU www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Middle powers assemble? Trump ...

Aufgemerkt, Hr. #Merz und Co. - so stellt man sich neu auf! Mal 'n bißchen reinhören und sacken lassen, was dafür für #schland und #Europa gilt und übernommen werden kann. Zuerst gesehen bei Christina Lux, gestern auch schon die zentralen Aussagen ausschnittsweise gehört. #Carney #Canada #NewWorldOrder #MiddlePowers #TransactionalismVsHegemonies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoDQBbbnv7o

Canadian Prime Minister Carney delivered in Davos what will likely become an historic speech in the decades to come.

Read the full transcript. You won't regret it.

https://globalnews.ca/news/11620877/carney-davos-wef-speech-transcript/

#Carney #Davos #MiddlePowers

Which Central Asian States Qualify as Middle Powers in 2025?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://timesca.com/which-central-asian-states-qualify-as-middle-powers-in-2025/

Astana Renews Call for Nuclear Dialogue, Global Security Reform

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://timesca.com/astana-renews-call-for-nuclear-dialogue-global-security-reform/

Can Kazakhstan Lead Small and Middle Powers in Reforming the UN?

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://timesca.com/can-kazakhstan-lead-small-and-middle-powers-in-reforming-the-un/

How Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan Are Rewiring the Middle Corridor

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://timesca.com/how-kazakhstan-and-azerbaijan-are-rewiring-the-middle-corridor/