How 'soft power' can be flexed in shifting geopolitics

"We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition," Canada's Prime Minster Mark Carney said in a recent speech at the World Economic Forum. The shift in international relations has Carney urging "middle power" countries to build coalitions and act together to counteract the "great power" strategy of the day: coercion. How? By flexing "soft power" — assets a country has that are attractive to other countries in the context of international affairs. Turns out, Canada and a majority of other countries have an opportunity to play a significant role on the international stage, if they choose to take it.

This IDEAS episode is a discussion with Jennifer Welsh, McGill University’s Canada Research Chair in Global Governance and Security, hosted at the University of Ottawa in the fall of 2025. We also hear from former high commissioner to Britain Janice Charette, former head of MSF Dr. Joanne Liu and climate campaigner Catherine Abreu.