Geopolitical Futures founder George Friedman has scathingly criticized the concept of an "alliance of middle powers" proposed by former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney. The analyst argues that uniting nations such as Canada, the UK, and EU members to counterbalance the dominance of Washington and Beijing is fundamentally unviable.
As reported by "Hvylya", citing Geopolitical Futures.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2026, Carney called for the creation of a coalition of "like-minded" nations. However, in his podcast, Friedman dismissed the initiative as "arithmetically absurd." He pointed out that the United States and China control nearly half the global economy (45%), and the collective market of the remaining eight nations with a GDP over a trillion dollars is insufficient for autonomous existence.
"Divide half the world market by these eight countries — neither any one of them individually, nor all of them collectively, constitute a sufficient market for the rest of the world," Friedman emphasized.
He cited Canada as a prime example, noting that it exports 75% of its goods to the US and 15% to China. Losing access to these markets would be a catastrophe that other middle powers could not offset. "Can South Korea compensate for the loss of the Chinese and American markets through the German one?" the expert asked.
Friedman placed particular emphasis on security, noting that middle powers scattered across the globe are incapable of defending one another. In his view, economic success without military strength is a risky proposition.
"There is nothing more dangerous than being rich and weak — they will come for you. Don't sit at the poker table putting up a lot of money if you don't know how to play," he stated.
Friedman likened Carney's "strength in unity" logic to a schoolyard brawl where seven weak participants attempt to confront two strong ones. "Usually, that doesn't work. Great speech. Now — reality," the analyst concluded.
