REMIT Research team member and FIIA Postdoctoral Fellow Eoin McNamara has published an op-ed for the Dublin City University (DCU) Brexit Institute on the prominent return of ‘middle power’ ideas in the global politics of multilateralism, discussing Ireland’s potential role in these dynamics.
Author Eoin McNamara explains: “Amid the shocks to global order caused by Donald Trump’s unilateral US foreign policy aims, I wanted to discuss the potential of ‘middle powers’ in attempting to respond to weaknesses in multilateralism that rising great power competition is creating. ‘Middle powers’ encompass a range of medium-sized powers and smaller states, with many focused on policies that support global stability. For Ireland, this debate is especially relevant as it soon assumes the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July 2026”.
Abstract
Donald Trump’s volatile US foreign policy has sent shudders through the global security system. Speaking in January 2026, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney called on democratic ‘middle powers’ to respond, not by nostalgically grieving a previous order, but by leading a de-centred multilateral evolution. In the EU, President of Finland Alexander Stubb has proposed a vision of ‘values-based realism’, emphasizing this as important for retrieving global stability. Can Ireland be among a group of ‘middle powers’ emerging along these lines? ‘Middle powers’ hold considerably less resources compared to great powers but can still work in cooperation to effectively support global multilateralism in different policy fields. Ireland does not have the same tradition of global peace mediation as some other smaller states like the Nordic countries, for example. Instead, Ireland retains opportunities to perform beyond its small size in stabilizing global order by re-committing to its traditional strengths by building consensus at international institutions like the EU and the UN to foster stabilizing norms in critical fields like nuclear arms control, peacekeeping operations (and possibly strategic technologies).
Full Citation:
McNamara, E. M., “Middle Powers Are Back in Fashion. Can Ireland Be One of Them?”, Dublin City University (DCU) Brexit Institute, May 2026, https://dcubrexitinstitute.eu/2026/05/middle-powers-are-back-in-fashion-can-ireland-be-one-of-them/