Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has described the escalating Middle East conflict as a definitive “failure of the international order.” Speaking at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Carney noted that the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday without consulting allies or engaging the United Nations.
The military action followed stalled negotiations regarding Tehran’s nuclear programme. The conflict has since widened, with Iranian attacks hitting Gulf states and US embassies, prompting Washington to shutter regional diplomatic missions.
Carney argued that the current crisis illustrates a deeper “rupture” where “the old norms of the rules-based international order are being erased.”
The Prime Minister observed that “great powers are increasingly acting without constraint,” contrasting this with the position of “middle powers” like Canada and Australia.
While acknowledging Iran as a “principal source of instability,” Carney insisted that “countries cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes their source of subordination.”
Mark Carney is currently conducting a multi-leg Asia-Pacific tour, including stops in Japan and India, to strengthen ties between “middle powers.” He argued that while great powers can “go it alone,” countries like Canada must build a “dense web of connections” and “ad hoc coalitions” to maintain influence.
Consequently, Canada and Australia are set to deepen cooperation in defence, maritime security, critical minerals, and artificial intelligence.
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
tut0ugh 