The Business Times
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NEW GLOBAL ORDER

Shaping flexible multilateralism for a world in flux

An incremental approach towards cooperation is a critical strategic tool for nations

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    • “We actively take on the world as it is, not wait for a world we wish to be,” said Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The logic of flexible multilateralism is straightforward: start with like-minded partners to build open and inclusive initiatives on issues where there is alignment.
    • “We actively take on the world as it is, not wait for a world we wish to be,” said Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. The logic of flexible multilateralism is straightforward: start with like-minded partners to build open and inclusive initiatives on issues where there is alignment. PHOTO: REUTERS

    Jesslene Lee and Paul Cheung

    Published Tue, Feb 10, 2026 · 07:00 AM

    AT THE World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney offered a candid assessment of a world in flux, urging middle powers and smaller countries to act together to safeguard their shared interests. He remarked, “We actively take on the world as it is, not wait for a world we wish to be.”

    Today’s world demands, in Carney’s words, “variable geometry”: different coalitions for different issues, grounded in shared values and converging interests. This approach is principled and pragmatic.

    Echoing this sentiment, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has termed this approach “flexible multilateralism”, explaining that it is about “(laying) the building blocks one by one, then in time to come, others that are more ready can join it”.

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