In a moment of profound geopolitical shifting, Mark Carney, the newly minted Prime Minister of Canada, took the stage at the World Economic Forum to deliver a speech that was as intellectually rigorous as it was a searing indictment of the current global status quo. For those of us in Dearborn—a community that has felt the crushing weight of U.S. hegemony, the hypocrisy of “rules-based orders,” and the betrayal of human rights in Palestine—Carney’s words were more than just a policy update. They were a signal that the facade is finally crumbling.
Carney didn’t just speak; he performed a public autopsy on the American-led world order. His message was clear: The “rules-based international order” is a lie we have all been forced to participate in, and Canada is officially taking the sign out of the window.
The Power of the Powerless: Breaking the Ritual of Lies
Carney opened his address by invoking Václav Havel’s famous essay, The Power of the Powerless. He spoke of the “green grocer” who puts a “Workers of the World Unite” sign in his window not because he believes it, but to avoid trouble. This, Carney argued, is how the current international system has functioned for decades. We have all participated in rituals we know to be false to appease a singular superpower.
For the people of Dearborn and the global Green movement, this resonates deeply. For years, we have been told that international law is the bedrock of our civilization. Yet, we watch as those same “rules” are suspended when the perpetrator is an American ally. We see the “rules” vanish when it comes to the illegal occupation of Palestine, the expansion of settlements, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Carney admitted what many leaders are too afraid to say: “We knew the story… was partially false… that international law applied with varying rigor depending on the identity of the accused or the victim” [03:18]. This admission is a watershed moment. It is a formal recognition that the U.S. has used international law as a tool for subordination rather than a framework for justice.
The End of Hegemony and the Rise of “Value-Based Realism”
The Prime Minister described the current global state not as a “transition,” but as a “rupture” [04:14]. He argued that the U.S. has moved beyond providing “public goods” and has instead begun using the global financial and economic infrastructure as a weapon of coercion. From tariffs to supply chain exploitation, the “bargain” of American hegemony no longer works for the rest of the world.
Carney’s response is what he calls “Value-Based Realism.” While he spoke through the lens of a G7 leader, his underlying thesis is one the Green Party has championed for decades: Strategic Autonomy.
He called for middle powers—countries like Canada, but by extension, any nation tired of being “on the menu” for great powers—to build their own strength and diversify their alliances. His announcement of new strategic partnerships with China, Qatar, and diverse coalitions across the Global South is a direct move to bypass the Washington-dictated “with us or against us” binary.
A Subtle Resistance: Naming the Reality
What made Carney’s speech “subtle and deep” was his refusal to engage in the loud, populist rhetoric that often characterizes resistance to the U.S. Instead, he used the language of risk management and sovereignty to dismantle the legitimacy of U.S. dominance.
He explicitly told the room of global elites that “hegemons cannot continually monetize their relationships” [05:49]. He warned that when a superpower abandons the pretense of rules for the unhindered pursuit of power, it loses its right to lead.
For our community in Dearborn, this is the most critical takeaway. Carney is calling for an “honest foreign policy” [14:19]. He argued that to live the truth, middle powers must “stop invoking the rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised” [13:15]. He demanded that nations apply the same standards to allies and rivals alike.
If we take Carney’s logic to its natural conclusion, it means that a nation cannot claim to support human rights while funding the destruction of Palestinian life. It means you cannot “stay silent” when economic or military intimidation comes from a “friend” [13:43].
The Green Path: Sovereignty, Sustainability, and Solidarity
Carney’s vision for Canada is one of an “energy superpower” that leverages its “vast reserves of critical minerals” and “sophisticated capital” to build a world that is “more just” [14:29]. While his focus remains on Canadian prosperity, his framework for “Variable Geometry”—building different coalitions for different issues—provides a blueprint for a multipolar world.
From a Green Party perspective, this is an invitation to move away from a world of “fortresses” and toward “genuine cooperation” [15:59]. It is an invitation to build a world where “sovereignty… will increasingly be anchored in the ability to withstand pressure” [06:03].
For Dearborn, a city that stands as a beacon of resistance against the military-industrial complex and the unyielding support for apartheid, Carney’s speech is a validation. It confirms that the rest of the world is waking up to the reality we have known for years: The old order is dead.
Why This Matters for Palestine
While Carney did not mention Palestine by name, his entire speech was a defense of the principles that the Free Palestine movement holds dear: Sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the prohibition of the use of force except when consistent with the UN Charter [07:40].
By calling out the “asymmetrical” enforcement of rules and the “identity-based” application of international law, Carney has given a name to the injustice of the Palestinian struggle on the world stage. He has provided a roadmap for how countries can begin to “reduce the leverage that enables coercion” [14:00], allowing them to take “principled stands” without fear of U.S. retaliation.
Conclusion: Taking the Sign Down
“The power of the less powerful starts with honesty,” Carney said [00:33].
We in Dearborn have been honest for a long time. We have marched, we have protested, and we have voted to demand an end to the “rituals” of American-led hypocrisy. To see the Prime Minister of a major Western ally stand up and say that “nostalgia is not a strategy” [15:36] and that it is time to “take the sign out of the window” [15:36] is a monumental shift.
The U.S. can no longer expect the world to perform the “performance of sovereignty” while accepting “subordination” [12:28]. A third path is being created—one that is grounded in integrity, pluralism, and the strength of many over the tyranny of one.
As Carney concluded, “The powerful have their power, but we have something too: the capacity to stop pretending” [15:59].
Dearborn is ready. The Green Party is ready. The world is ready. The pretend-game is over.
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