When fancy speech replaces moralsBy John ChengCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent speech at Davos was widely praised. Twenty years ago, such a speech — invoking the decline of the postwar order, the anxieties of middle powers and the need to “live the truth” — would have been greeted as a serious contribution to global debate. When Carney’s words are placed alongside his government’s decisions, the moral coherence of the speech begins to unravel. However, history suggests that middle powers that blur moral distinctions in the name of realism often discover too late that they have preserved neither influence nor integrity. That world is not safer for middle powers.

Source: Taipei Times January 24, 2026 16:02 UTC