By Canadian Press

Former PM Stephen Harper sees new Cold War, this time between U.S. and China

Mar 12, 2021 | 12:55 PM

OTTAWA — Former prime minister Stephen Harper says the world order has returned to a kind of Cold War between two superpowers, this time between the United States and China.

While middle-power countries like Canada have a role to play in that war, Harper told a defence conference today that they can’t try to set their own courses completely independent of the big two.

Following the Second World War, the U.S. and its allies engaged in a prolonged Cold War with the Soviet Union and its communist allies.

But Harper says Russia today has devolved into being what he calls “the world’s biggest disrupter,” with a comparatively small economy that puts it out of the same league as China and the U.S.

He says the U.S. remains the world’s pre-eminent power but it is no longer as dominant as it once was, in part because it stepped away from its traditional leadership role.

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As for Europe, Harper says it is no longer a player on international peace and security issues.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2021.

The Canadian Press