A new multilateral world without the US
A global consensus is emerging without the US.
Canada and other countries that rely on a liberal world order must reinforce key multilateral institutions.
Can multilateral cooperation keep the international order going with the most powerful country acting as dead weight?
Canada is adopting a broad foreign policy posture that presumes the answer is yes.
With the US taking a hard line in NAFTA negotiations and seeing the bilateral relationship in “win-lose” terms, upholding a broader international system in which both economics and security are viewed in terms of mutual benefits will become even more important than before.
Fortunately, Canada is not alone in seeking to buttress the international order while distancing itself from the direction being taken by Washington.
This was most strikingly demonstrated by the isolation of the US at this year’s G7 and…