I attended the Astana International Forum, which took place in the Kazakh capital on May 29 and 30, and came to the conclusion that Canada could learn from this type of international engagement and play a greater diplomatic role.
The second edition of the Astana International Forum, which could be compared to an "Asian Davos," is primarily a diplomatic project. The goal is to establish dialogue and exchange ideas by bringing together representatives from the political, economic, and intellectual spheres of various countries. In this respect, the Forum is somewhat disappointing because it does not propose a concrete project or tangible solutions to contemporary problems. However, the dynamics it generates are indicative of paradigm shifts on the international scene.
What makes this Forum unique is that it features representatives from middle powers and emerging countries. Hailing from Afghanistan, Austria, France, Macedonia, Malaysia, Rwanda, Congo, Qatar, and many others, the panelists primarily addressed the issues of the reshaping of the international order, energy transition, and multilateralism. The emerging consensus was this: we are witnessing the end of the unipolar order under American authority at a time when the next great power, China, has not yet achieved hegemonic status. In this context, cooperation among middle powers would contribute to maintaining a degree of global balance.
While Kazakhstan does not exemplify strong democratic practices, it nonetheless enjoys a good international standing and shares certain similarities with our country. Like Canada, is a vast, sparsely populated country that also finds itself sandwiched between its two powerful immediate neighbors, China and Russia, with which it cannot compete economically and militarily. Having adopted a multi-vector foreign policy since its independence, Kazakhstan maintains balanced relations with multiple actors rather than aligning itself exclusively with a single geopolitical bloc. By organizing this Forum, along with other initiatives such as the Astana process in 2017, which aimed to facilitate talks between warring parties in Syria, Kazakhstan is positioning itself on the international stage as a facilitator and a serious and essential interlocutor. This strategy also helps maintain this image of impartiality and balance the influence of major powers. As one speaker mentioned, a middle power is not obligated to be neutral or non-aligned; the idea is to be "multi-aligned" and maximize opportunities. As Canada's economic and political dependence on the United States becomes more acute, strengthening ties with other allies and establishing new partnerships are now top priorities. Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to visit France and the United Kingdom as part of his first international visit is indicative of this direction.
This task is not necessarily easy since the political situation in the United States is currently, and rightly so, monopolizing a large part of the mediatic attention. More generally, the geography of America creates an effect of involuntary isolation from the rest of the world that prevents Canadian observers from understanding the magnitude of the transitions taking place in Eurasia, where Canada, perhaps with the exception of its mining companies, has limited outreach. Although Canada has traditionally played an important role on the international scene and enjoyed a good reputation, our country's weight on the global scale is currently marginal. Moreover, no Canadian representative was invited to the Forum, and having attended six panels in total, I noted that Canada was mentioned only once, and that for an insignificant detail. It is time for Canada to leverage its status as a middle power and its international reputation to develop a more ambitious foreign policy aimed at reducing its vulnerability to its powerful neighbor and increasing its diplomatic interventions.