The high-profile addresses by prominent Western leaders — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio — at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in January and the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in February, respectively, have captured global attention. Both speeches were broadly well-received among diplomats and other leaders, though the mainstream media (MSM) used different standards in their coverage.Before becoming Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney played a key role in drafting core WEF documents, participated in panels, and served in advisory capacities. Additionally, he was the Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance for the United Nations (UN). The WEF and the UN maintain close links and frequently align on key priorities. When the Prime Minister was addressing the WEF this year, he was preaching to the choir — his speech was predictably well received. By contrast, Secretary Rubio encountered a far more charged atmosphere, following the straight-talking US Vice President J.D. Vance’s address a year earlier.Prime Minister Carney has identified as a European and enjoys notable, strong ties with Western Europe’s elite, including French President Macron and German Chancellor Merz. He champions globalist multinational trade agreements and has shown interest in deeper alignment between Canada and the European Union (EU). Critics argue that the EU elite’s policies amount to “managing the decline.”Secretary Rubio, together with other members of President Trump’s administration, advocates for workers displaced by globalization. He criticized unfettered trade policies that shuttered factories in developed countries. The administration champions genuine free speech rather than government-approved “free” speech and legal migration rather than allowing a country to be flooded with illegal migration. Secretary Rubio stated that the White House is directed toward reaching new heights.The MSM also plays a supporting role in contrasting the two speeches. Since the start of Trump’s second term, they have been sowing the seeds of contention, portraying a supposed consensus among “world-wise, sophisticated” European elites as the continent’s unified rejection of Trump and his policies. This depiction is inaccurate. In Germany, Chancellor Merz and other establishment politicians have assiduously worked to prevent the Alternative for Germany (AfD) from forming a government, despite repeated polls indicating the AfD would prevail in a fair and free election. The AfD maintains good relations with the Trump administration. In France, the National Rally (RN) shares ideological alignment with several of Trump’s policies, but has likewise been prevented from winning a fair and free election, as polls suggest it could — by President Macron’s maneuvers. Italy, Hungary, Poland, and Romania enjoy good relations with the Trump White House. Ultimately, the divide is not Europe versus Trump, but Western European elite versus Trump..Highlights from Prime Minister Carney’s speech include his references to “great powers” and “middle powers.” Although he does not define these terms, he explicitly describes Canada as a middle power. This characterization seems odd, given Canada’s membership in the G7 — a select group of the top world economies with global influence among roughly 194 nations — as well as NATO, the G20, the Commonwealth, and La Francophonie. Carney went on to discuss the “rules-based international order,” noting how it enabled countries to “pursue values-based policies under its protection.” Every society maintains a rule-based system through laws and courts, yet these ultimately rely on state enforcement backed by a monopoly on force via multiple police organizations. The Prime Minister is correct in saying the rules permitted such policies only because they were protected, but he omits the key enforcer: the US military. This significant factor went unmentioned.He accurately depicted the falsity of the “rule-based” international order, albeit with understatement. In reality, when countries disliked a particular rule, they ignored it outright. There were abundant backroom deals, carve-outs, and exemptions that undermined true accountability.He revisited his “rupture” rhetoric and presented challenges to globalization as though novel and stemming primarily from Trump’s tariffs. Yet every country employs tariffs — the difference, he implies, is that when the US does so, they serve as leverage. The whole point of tariffs is leverage, in every country. Another case in point: he described supply chains as “vulnerabilities to be exploited.” Perhaps the Oxford-trained PhD should revisit the history of the World Wars or reflect on how supply chains collapsed during the COVID shutdowns. His framing of a “rupture” rather than a mere “transition” justifies his repeated calls for middle powers to stand against “great powers.” He envisions those great powers constructing a fortress world.Throughout his speech, the Prime Minister urges other countries to heed his clarion call: to stand united against an undeclared hegemon and forge a new world order. What he actually advocates is reassembling the broken twentieth-century global WEF Humpty Dumpty and repackaging it with a fresh public relations campaign. Given that he proudly informed the audience of Canada’s new strategic partnership with China, it’s clear which hegemon he has in mind.Secretary Rubio opened his speech by reminding the audience of the “historic alliance” between the US and Western Europe — an alliance that “saved and changed the world.” He referenced the shared struggle against communism, the USSR’s division of Germany, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which transatlantic unity preserved Western civilization. This success fostered a delusion by both sides of the Atlantic: that the Western democratic values, open trade, and the “rules-based-global order” would supplant raw national interests. While Europe and the US adhered to these rules, other powers exploited the system to weaken the West and bolster themselves, resulting in widespread decline across key sectors of free-world economies..He continued by declaring that the US will renew and restore itself, inviting European friends to join this process — because the US and Europe are bound together by shared heritage, traditions, and Christian faith. Though Trump’s team may seem overly direct in words and actions, this stems from genuine care: care for a Europe that survives, a strong Europe, and a proud West confident in its culture and accomplishments.It was poor policy choices that led to deindustrialization, reduced independence, loss of control over supply chains, and the ongoing crisis of mass migration. Europe and the US cannot rebuild the past, but they must focus together on the future. The global order must not supersede the interests of the national people. He calls for renewal and reform of international cooperation and institutions.Secretary Rubio again invited Europe to join actively in the renewal and reform process, reminding them of the renewal and reforms that followed World War Two. He detailed the significant role various European peoples played in building America into the great power it is today. He concluded with the words, “...our destiny together awaits.”The Secretary’s MSC speech presented a romantic view of the US, yet it was generally historically accurate. He, like the Prime Minister, is trying to motivate the Europeans, but that is where the similarities end.Although the Prime Minister claims Canada is taking steps toward his envisioned new order, in fact, the country has accomplished little on his agenda — though the government hopes to deliver on those priorities. Nonetheless, he does not speak with or persuade through the voice of the Canadian people. His argument amounts to a litany of negatives that need addressing, with his proposed solution being to confront the unnamed hegemon. By contrast, Secretary Rubio repeatedly assures his audience that he speaks for the people of America. He lists similar challenges but calls on Europeans to meet them through renewal and reform, paving the way to a bright shared future. Carney casts himself as the hero destined to slay the beast; Rubio reminds us that America and Europe have faced darkness before and together victoriously emerged into the light.Dr. A.W. Barber is the former Director of Asian Studies at the University of Calgary. He is internationally active and has wide-ranging interests.
