{"id":269260,"date":"2026-03-10T10:23:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=269260"},"modified":"2026-03-10T10:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:24:20","slug":"antigua-and-barbuda-pm-says-commonwealth-could-anchor-alliance-of-middle-powers-in-changing-global-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-and-barbuda-pm-says-commonwealth-could-anchor-alliance-of-middle-powers-in-changing-global-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua and Barbuda PM Says Commonwealth Could Anchor Alliance of Middle Powers in Changing Global Order"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has argued that the Commonwealth could form the foundation of a new alliance of \u201cmiddle powers\u201d as countries adapt to a shifting geopolitical landscape.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Writing in an opinion article published in The Telegraph<\/em>, Browne said recent global developments have underscored the importance of cooperation among countries that are not superpowers but still seek to maintain influence and stability in international affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed to recent remarks by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about the role of middle powers, suggesting that nations outside the world\u2019s dominant geopolitical blocs must work together to protect their interests.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith the unfolding events in the Middle East, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney\u2019s recent speech on middle powers takes on a new relevance,\u201d Browne wrote.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister said countries must ensure they remain influential in global decision-making, rather than becoming marginalised in a rapidly changing international system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow should countries that are not one of the world\u2019s superpowers best navigate, prosper, and keep themselves \u2013 to paraphrase Carney \u2013 \u2018at the table, so they are not on the menu\u2019?\u201d he wrote.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Browne said it would be \u201cdangerously na\u00efve\u201d to assume the international system will revert to its previous structure, warning that the geopolitical order is undergoing lasting change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe geopolitical order is changing, and that change is here to stay,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister suggested that the Commonwealth of Nations \u2014 a grouping of 56 countries with shared historical ties and political traditions \u2014 already provides a ready-made framework for deeper cooperation among middle-sized economies.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

He said longstanding cultural, institutional and political links among Commonwealth members create an advantage that could be expanded into stronger economic and diplomatic partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat makes our Commonwealth relationships so valuable is that they are not caused by geography but made through choice and underpinned by the values we share,\u201d Browne wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister also cited the so-called \u201cCommonwealth Advantage,\u201d which studies have shown can reduce trade costs among member states compared with trade between non-member countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlready we benefit, by nature of our common histories and political systems, from a \u2018Commonwealth Advantage\u2019 where the cost of trade between us is, on average, 21 per cent lower than between non-members,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne argued that Commonwealth countries could deepen cooperation by reducing non-tariff trade barriers, aligning regulatory standards and improving customs systems to facilitate trade across the network of member states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also highlighted opportunities for collaboration on global challenges such as climate change, democratic governance and the preservation of a rules-based international system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are also similarly united on the other great issues of our times. The need to adapt to and mitigate for climate change, to enhance the cause of democracy, and to defend a world where rules \u2013 not might \u2013 are right,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne said small island states in particular have benefited from the rules-based global system because it protects countries that lack the military or economic weight of larger powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmall island states have all benefited immeasurably from the existence of the rules-based international system because, self-evidently, we would not have the capacity to wield power freely in a dog-eat-dog world,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prime minister also noted Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s upcoming role in the leadership of the Commonwealth. The country will assume the organisation\u2019s rotating Chair-in-Office following the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be hosted in St. John\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browne said the meeting presents an opportunity to consider how the organisation could play a stronger role in international cooperation among countries with shared political systems and economic interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a world of shifting global power structures, there is an obvious need for a coalition of compatible middle and small nations together magnifying their influence globally,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He concluded that while such an alliance might otherwise need to be created from scratch, the Commonwealth already offers a ready-made platform for cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndeed, if in the world today there were not such a group of like-minded, predominantly English-speaking free-trade-supporting rules-based nations, one would need to be created,\u201d Browne wrote. \u201cFortunately, with the Commonwealth, we already have one. The question now is what we do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n