Last May, Political Studies Professor David Haglund presented at the Atlantik-Brücke conference, held in Berlin from 17 to 19 May 2026.
Alongside co-author David Bosold, the briefing paper examines the relationship between Canada and Germany using the symbols of middle power and linchpin as analytical anchors. The authors compare the landmark speeches by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at Davos (January 2026) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Munich Security Conference (February 2026), arguing that media coverage has glossed over a crucial divergence: Carney declared a definitive “rupture” with the old transatlantic order and called for broad middle-power solidarity, while Merz urged allies to “repair and revive transatlantic trust” within an explicitly Western, values-based framework.