At the recent Davos summit, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made significant remarks regarding the disintegration of the global order, asserting that the era of a normative international system is coming to an end. He emphasized that large powers are increasingly utilizing integration and tariffs as tools of pressure, viewing financial mechanisms and supply chains as opportunities for coercion. In his view, we are not merely in a transitional phase but rather amidst a full unraveling of the existing geopolitical framework.

Carney referenced the historical insights of Thucydides, noting that historically, the stronger have acted on their volitions while the weaker parties have borne the brunt of these actions. He described the previous international order as a “fiction” that nations adhered to because of its perceived utility. However, he suggested that this fiction can no longer be sustained, which has significant implications for international relations and stability.

In addition to Carney’s remarks, the ideas of Yuval Noah Harari were invoked to convey the importance that societies place on fictional constructs, such as money and political systems, that enable coexistence. These constructs, while effective for some time, are ultimately transient and subject to collapse, suggesting a need for a reevaluation of how nations engage with one another in this shifting landscape.