Coming May 27: The New World Order
Canada's Perspective and Leadership
What it means for Canada, the US, and Whatcom County
12:00 p.m., May 27, at the Bellingham Yacht Club
2625 S Harbor Loop Dr.
Click here to buy your ticket(s)*.
Member price is $25; nonmember price is $35; youth under 25 is $10; program only tickets (no meal or table seating) are $10 for members, $15 for nonmembers.
Registration closes at 6:00pm, Sunday, May 24. Doors open at 11:15am.
In January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke at the World Economic Forum and said the old-world order is gone and “more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons. Tariffs as leverage. Financial infrastructure as coercion. Supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.”
He proceeded to talk about “middle powers” like Canada, needing to form new and different coalitions for different issues including climate, trade, security and technology. He received a standing ovation.
What has happened since January, which countries are middle powers and what consequences do such changes have for superpowers, middle powers and people around the world, including here?
Join our speakers Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., and Craig Weichel, Consul General of Canada in Seattle
Edward Alden is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C., and the Ross Distinguished Visiting Professor of U.S.-Canada Economic Relations at Western Washington University. His most recent book, co-written with Laurie Trautman, is When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Pandemic and the Future of Borders (Oxford University Press, 2025). He is also the author of Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). He was the project director for CFR Task Forces on trade, immigration and the future of work.
His first book, The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, Immigration and Security Since 9/11 (Harper Collins, 2008), was a finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas book prize. He has testified to Congress numerous times, written widely for major newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, and appeared on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News, PBS News Hour and Bloomberg Surveillance. Prior to joining the Council, Mr. Alden was the Washington bureau chief for the Financial Times.
Craig Weichel (BA Hons, Wilfrid Laurier University, 1994; MA, McMaster University, 1996) joined the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle in September 2024.
As Canada's Consul General to the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska, Mr. Weichel is responsible for strengthening trade and economic ties; enhancing political, academic and cultural links; and assisting Canadians visiting or living in those four states.
Prior to his arrival in Seattle, Mr. Weichel headed the Environment and Energy program at Canada’s Embassy to the United States in Washington, DC (2019 to 2024). In this capacity, he managed a number of files of importance to Canada-U.S. relations, including cross-border energy infrastructure, critical minerals collaboration, and transboundary environmental issues.
A career Foreign Service officer, Mr. Weichel has also served abroad at Canada’s Embassy in Rome, Italy (2009 to 2013); at the Canadian Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, Austria (2002 to 2005); and at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (2000).
At Headquarters of Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa, Mr. Weichel most recently served as Director of the North Korea Task Force (2018 to 2019) and the Civilian Security Policy and Natural Disaster Response Division (2016 to 2018). He also served as President of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers from 2007 to 2009.
Born and raised near Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Mr. Weichel enjoys various outdoor pursuits as well as explaining the nuances of Canadian football to Americans.
To view the Prime Minister’s address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, click here.
Caterer: Guud Bowls
*Tickets are nonrefundable. Member lunch tickets cover the cost of the meal. Additional costs, such as facility rental and videorecording, are covered by member dues and non-member tickets.