The diplomatic pleasantries are over. In a speech that stripped the bark off the geopolitical tree, Mark Carney has told the world’s elite what they privately fear but rarely admit: the American-led global order is dead, and it is not coming back.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Canadian Prime Minister delivered a eulogy for the "rules-based international order"—a system that has underpinned global trade and security since 1945. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-1)His diagnosis was stark: we are not in a transition; we are in a "rupture." With US President Donald Trump set to land in Switzerland to demand the annexation of Greenland, Carney’s words felt less like a warning and more like a survival guide for a world gone mad.

"A World of Fortresses"

"Call it what it is," Carney told the hushed auditorium. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-3)"A system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion." The message to "middle powers"—a category that includes nations like Kenya—was chilling. The era where compliance bought safety is over.

Carney warned that the world is fragmenting into "fortresses," where superpowers weaponize supply chains, tariffs, and financial infrastructure. For an economy like Kenya's, heavily reliant on open trade routes and foreign direct investment, this shift is catastrophic. The "rules" that protected smaller nations from the whims of the giants are evaporating, replaced by raw transactionalism.

• The "Menu" Doctrine: Carney’s most quotable line was also his most ominous: "Middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu." It was a call to arms for nations to build new alliances independent of the erratic superpowers.
• The Trump Factor: While he didn't name Trump explicitly, the shadow of the US President loomed large. Carney’s rejection of "nostalgia" was a direct rebuttal to those hoping the US would return to its traditional role as global policeman.

Adapt or Perish

The implications for the Global South are profound. Carney argued that "sovereignty" in this new age means resilience—diversifying trade partners and building domestic strength. It is a pivot away from the naive globalization of the 2000s toward a hard-nosed realism.

As Trump prepares to take the stage with his own brand of "America First" (and apparently "Greenland Now"), Carney has drawn the battle lines. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-5)The old world is gone. The new one is dangerous, expensive, and unforgiving. The question now is whether the rest of the world listens, or keeps pretending the emperor still has clothes.