“What Would a Global Order of Middle Powers Look Like?”
Conversation & Garden Reception
at the Instituto Cervantes
On Tuesday, September 23, 2025, New America and the Starling Institute hosted an exciting conversation (recording above) during United Nations High-Level Week.
We explored three central questions. What would it mean to re-imagine a new global order? Should a reimagined order be based on shared values? What are the near coalitions that need to happen?
The conversation opened with brief opening provocations, or 'lightning talks' by:
Martín Abregú, Vice President of International Programs at the Ford Foundation;
Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of Oxfam International;
Richard Gowan, UN and Multilateral Diplomacy Director at the International Crisis Group;
Kate Higgins, CEO of Cooperation Canada;
Stewart Patrick, Senior Fellow and Director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace;
Zane Dangor, Director General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa; and
Mariana Mazzucato, Professor of Economics of Innovation and Public Value, University College London.
The discussions offered some important insights:
There was broad agreement that the time for action is now and that the current multilateral system is approaching a breaking point. That said, we are still lacking a clear blueprint on how to shape the future toward the system we want to see.
Regaining public support for multilateralism will require concrete steps to tackle real issues and address the economic insecurity felt by so many while demonstrating the centrality of global cooperation to a promising future.
It is time for middle powers to step up. After 80 years of waiting for great powers to lead, there is a space, with great powers unable or unwilling, to break the mold and act.
Reform the current system rather than try to rebuild it from scratch. Middle power leadership requires a functioning multilateral system. There is opportunity to build upon what exists and shape institutions that support a promising future.
Build a coalition of the willing. The moment calls for a flexible network of states, united by both trust and self-interest, that are ready and capable to step up.
Hold principles to account. As we rethink the system, equity, solidarity, and sustainability must be central.
Peace and Security remains challenging. Without the active engagement of the great powers, middle powers will likely find an international security system difficult to maintain