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As middle powers flail around for ways of dealing with the current chaos in the international system, soaring hopes for collective action are not matched by the realities on the ground. Middle powers can certainly de-risk their ties with the great powers by increasing cooperation among themselves. Such cooperation, however, does not lead to much influence on a global order dominated by the United States and China.

The current wave of interest in middle powers was set off by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. In his speech, he called on middle powers to unite against bullying by the great powers. “Intermediate powers like Canada are not powerless,” Carney said. “They have the capacity to build a new order that encompasses our values, such as respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.” But these ideas aren’t new. Canadian scholars were among the first in the post-World War II era to develop the idea of middle powers seeking agency in the international system, and Carney was consciously harking back to that tradition. He was also reacting to the immediate challenge presented by U.S. President Donald Trump—his condescension toward America’s closest allies and scant regard for their dignity, let alone interests.

As middle powers flail around for ways of dealing with the current chaos in the international system, soaring hopes for collective action are not matched by the realities on the ground. Middle powers can certainly de-risk their ties with the great powers by increasing cooperation among themselves. Such cooperation, however, does not lead to much influence on a global order dominated by the United States and China.

The current wave of interest in middle powers was set off by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. In his speech, he called on middle powers to unite against bullying by the great powers. “Intermediate powers like Canada are not powerless,” Carney said. “They have the capacity to build a new order that encompasses our values, such as respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.” But these ideas aren’t new. Canadian scholars were among the first in the post-World War II era to develop the idea of middle powers seeking agency in the international system, and Carney was consciously harking back to that tradition. He was also reacting to the immediate challenge presented by U.S. President Donald Trump—his condescension toward America’s closest allies and scant regard for their dignity, let........

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