Navigating stormy waters: a middle power perspective.

The article examines the structural shifts and emerging challenges in the international economic order driven by globalization, focusing on the implications for middle powers, particularly Canada. It highlights factors such as geopolitical conflicts, economic fragmentation, digitalization, and rising populism and protectionism that complicate global trade, investment, and supply chains. Despite these challenges, multilateral cooperation and rulemaking continue to function in various international organizations and forums, though the landscape is increasingly fragmented with overlapping agreements and industrial subsidies. Canada's experience illustrates how middle powers can navigate this complex environment through agile diplomacy, coalition-building, domestic policy initiatives, and active engagement in international rulemaking to advance national interests and contribute to a rules-based global economic order.