I love this idea. It's the ultimate irony that by trying to undermine NATO, Europe, and Ukraine, Trump has inadvertently created an environment for rapid innovation. Europe seems to be filling the gap in supporting Ukraine and is coalescing around standing up for itself. The idea of taking the next step, and creating a new alliance from a position of strength, is smart. For those of us in the U.S. who care about bringing our country back to the path of leadership among democracies, a D7 would act as a lighthouse and incentive for future American leaders to get back in the game.
PM Carney was right to say Canadian values have more in common with Europe. I hope the US will get there at some point, but we have years ahead to make that work and make the changes stick.
It’s breathtaking how quickly we have slipped into a world where no one is safe. That a once reliable partner has become a belligerent toward its neighbours and friends. The structure that promised so much has turned out to be so weak and easily dismantled. The country that was a beacon of propriety and fiduciary responsibility has launched into wholesale corruption on a grand scale. I’m glad we have the Pacific Ocean between us and the U.S. I can only imagine what it must be like to be Canada and have no buffer.
This is a great article. The idea is exactly what's needed now that the U.S. is no longer a democracy. If this group formally bands together, I predict there will soon be unexpected and very positive emergent properties from the union.
We're still a democracy, but just not a very stable one. This fall will be... Instructive. Keep safe in the meantime. Breaking news is the House just passed the War Powers Resolution, so not sure what that all means but it means some GOP have turned.
Excellent idea. I have always felt that a "League of Democracies" might assume many of the functions of the UN, though I do think the UN is useful as representing the worlds governances.
By the criteria of the Freedom House Index rating of "free" the countries mentioned represent the free countries but also much of Latin America, a few countries in Africa- Senegal, South Africa. Brazil in particular has a free rating and is the 10th biggest economy in the world. I think tying membership into the group on their maintaining civil liberties and electoral democracy would incentivize that.
We will see what happens with the political alignment going on (finally). The problem with the US trying to rule the world is not that regular Americans want that, but the rich and powerful do. If we can pull the oligarchs teeth, and we have before, it couod be different. But we have a lot of work to do.
Don’t forget Mexico, an emerging democracy getting its own house in order and could be of mutual value to the well-established democracies on this list. A strong, democratic Mexico, in alliance with Canada and the rest of the D7, would bring pressure to bear on the paper tiger that is the United States.
Theres an alternative to a deeply centralized, deeply standardized, decision-making-access-exclusionary, and centrally planned joint-system; we could enter into an old wester-West’s style federative structures with legal/regulatory variability and policy variability down to the local level, local fiscal primacy, diffused-pluralized-localized financial structures, ect. thats held together by strong horizontal integration and coordination structures, not vertical ones.
The USA internally, at least in its NE, Mid-West, and West regions operated together in such a system for hundreds of years until well after WW2. It is an option.
Great idea. Should include Taiwan and call it D8. Otherwise China will take Taiwan and then control world production of integrated circuits. With China in control of: integrated circuits; rare earth metals; plus Gallium , Germanium, Cobalt, Graphite, Magnesium , and Tungsten, it will be difficult for D7 to resist economic coercion from China.
A cogent precis on an incipient coalition to step in to fill the vacuum of a shredded global order.
To the six areas of focus outlined, would you add a seventh-- mitigating and managing global warming induced climate crises?--- this is existential; it underlies and underscores the other six, and explicitly needs to be called out. The US may yet redeeem itself by a good faith and sustained effort to even qualify for membership in this coalition.
Theres an alternative to a deeply centralized, deeply standardized, decision-making-access-exclusionary, and centrally planned joint-system; we could enter into an old wester-West’s style federative structures with legal/regulatory variability and policy variability down to the local level, local fiscal primacy, diffused-pluralized-localized financial structures, ect. thats held together by strong horizontal integration and coordination structures, not vertical ones.
The USA internally, at least in its NE, Mid-West, and West regions operated together in such a system for hundreds of years until well after WW2. It is an option.
If the Ukraine coalition exists to undermine NATO, then isn’t that an indictment on the flimsiness of NATO? If a member nation disagrees with the use of NATO resources (Hungary), then you can just cut them out of the decision by forming a new organization?
Similarly here, the WTO seems like the intended vehicle to litigate these concerns of economic intimidation? It seems like again, you want to undermine an established international institution by forming a new institution.
Can we be frank at least? We don’t truly believe in a rules-based global order that gives all nations a seat at the table. We have our true ideological allies (the D7), and everyone else we try to add is only on board for as long as it is beneficial for us.
I specifically like the idea of "super-majority voting", rather than every country having a veto, because an organisation with lots of members, if every country has a veto then it ends up with nothing ever being able to be decided on.
In particular the "economic article 5" against economic coercion (e.g. by USA), and acts of aggression less than (e.g. by Russia) need to be triggerable on a supermajority (something like 65% of members, with members' weights being roughly proportional to GDP and military spending).
I dislike the idea of "light governance", though: the D7 should have democratically elected leadership, maybe a 5 member team elected by STV, and each member should have a permanent representative (like an ambassador) to the organisation. This would make it easier for decisions to be taken in a hurry where necessary.
Great concept. As such, meetings to flesh out the administration structures, organization functions and accountabilities and funding commitments need to occur sooner than later.
Americans Watch As Nazi Republicans Bankrupt The Country
Since “retired” president Nixon took us off the gold standard in 1971 the Nazi Republican policy has bankrupted the country with a $39T national debt This neoliberal policy created by the ultrawealthy from Reagan to the Bushes to Cheeto has led to a financial catastrophe and more than likely will lead to some form of another Great Depression And MSM and even Substack channels don’t understand this basic economic fact(https://bit.ly/3R81rjn)
Only 10% of Americans were in the middle class when Democrats took office and by 1960 more than 60% were in middle class in part because of the WWII effort but also because of the policies that FDR instigated to weather the depression brought on by the Republicans in the 1920’s with the tariff policy of Hoover, the straw that broke the camel’s back and brought about the Great Depression
Now since Reagan the “free trade” neoliberal Nazi Republican agenda is clear….use the levers of government to enrich the already wealthy, decimate the middle class, and make sure that the power of the government be used to consolidate that control by the rich upper class and create an oligarchic “blue blood” ruling class
How the Nazi Republicans have brought along some of the American electorate is not as so often reported the “MAGA” crowd but by the moniker of Christian values, the CNPP(Christian Nationalist Pedo Party) To gain power Hitler proclaimed “We tolerate no one in our ranks who attacks the ideas of Christianity. Our movement is Christian.” (Adolph Hitler 1928) Actually MAGA is code for Christian Nationalism so call it what it is, not what Cheeto calls it WE the People have been duped for 10y
So here we are, a debtor nation China knows this and calls our nation in decline And China is right All thanks to the Nazi Republican tax, nonregulatory, and “free trade policies exploiting the middle class and creating an oligarchic ruling class WE the People and not the Democratic party will be responsible for pulling the country out of this financial abyss, all created by the Nazi Republican over the last 46y
I love this idea. It's the ultimate irony that by trying to undermine NATO, Europe, and Ukraine, Trump has inadvertently created an environment for rapid innovation. Europe seems to be filling the gap in supporting Ukraine and is coalescing around standing up for itself. The idea of taking the next step, and creating a new alliance from a position of strength, is smart. For those of us in the U.S. who care about bringing our country back to the path of leadership among democracies, a D7 would act as a lighthouse and incentive for future American leaders to get back in the game.
Great article! In this alternate universe unity of the like minded is essential.
PM Carney was right to say Canadian values have more in common with Europe. I hope the US will get there at some point, but we have years ahead to make that work and make the changes stick.
It’s breathtaking how quickly we have slipped into a world where no one is safe. That a once reliable partner has become a belligerent toward its neighbours and friends. The structure that promised so much has turned out to be so weak and easily dismantled. The country that was a beacon of propriety and fiduciary responsibility has launched into wholesale corruption on a grand scale. I’m glad we have the Pacific Ocean between us and the U.S. I can only imagine what it must be like to be Canada and have no buffer.
I swear we're doing Bronze Age Collapse 2.0 and Americans are the Sea Peoples. This is not what I expected for my oldish age.
Excellent idea.
This is a great article. The idea is exactly what's needed now that the U.S. is no longer a democracy. If this group formally bands together, I predict there will soon be unexpected and very positive emergent properties from the union.
We're still a democracy, but just not a very stable one. This fall will be... Instructive. Keep safe in the meantime. Breaking news is the House just passed the War Powers Resolution, so not sure what that all means but it means some GOP have turned.
Excellent idea. I have always felt that a "League of Democracies" might assume many of the functions of the UN, though I do think the UN is useful as representing the worlds governances.
By the criteria of the Freedom House Index rating of "free" the countries mentioned represent the free countries but also much of Latin America, a few countries in Africa- Senegal, South Africa. Brazil in particular has a free rating and is the 10th biggest economy in the world. I think tying membership into the group on their maintaining civil liberties and electoral democracy would incentivize that.
Some good proposals here. How are they advancing?
“The door should remain open to the United States”.
— No, they’d only try to take over and impose their will, Including under Democratic presidents. An alignment might work, but not membership.
We will see what happens with the political alignment going on (finally). The problem with the US trying to rule the world is not that regular Americans want that, but the rich and powerful do. If we can pull the oligarchs teeth, and we have before, it couod be different. But we have a lot of work to do.
Brazil and some others would also be credible democratic participants
Don’t forget Mexico, an emerging democracy getting its own house in order and could be of mutual value to the well-established democracies on this list. A strong, democratic Mexico, in alliance with Canada and the rest of the D7, would bring pressure to bear on the paper tiger that is the United States.
The link to the full paper doesn't seem to work? Love the idea. Global democracies need to do this ASAP.
This sounds fantastic. Why not invite progressive states in the USA, like California and New York?
Theres an alternative to a deeply centralized, deeply standardized, decision-making-access-exclusionary, and centrally planned joint-system; we could enter into an old wester-West’s style federative structures with legal/regulatory variability and policy variability down to the local level, local fiscal primacy, diffused-pluralized-localized financial structures, ect. thats held together by strong horizontal integration and coordination structures, not vertical ones.
The USA internally, at least in its NE, Mid-West, and West regions operated together in such a system for hundreds of years until well after WW2. It is an option.
Great idea. Should include Taiwan and call it D8. Otherwise China will take Taiwan and then control world production of integrated circuits. With China in control of: integrated circuits; rare earth metals; plus Gallium , Germanium, Cobalt, Graphite, Magnesium , and Tungsten, it will be difficult for D7 to resist economic coercion from China.
A cogent precis on an incipient coalition to step in to fill the vacuum of a shredded global order.
To the six areas of focus outlined, would you add a seventh-- mitigating and managing global warming induced climate crises?--- this is existential; it underlies and underscores the other six, and explicitly needs to be called out. The US may yet redeeem itself by a good faith and sustained effort to even qualify for membership in this coalition.
Theres an alternative to a deeply centralized, deeply standardized, decision-making-access-exclusionary, and centrally planned joint-system; we could enter into an old wester-West’s style federative structures with legal/regulatory variability and policy variability down to the local level, local fiscal primacy, diffused-pluralized-localized financial structures, ect. thats held together by strong horizontal integration and coordination structures, not vertical ones.
The USA internally, at least in its NE, Mid-West, and West regions operated together in such a system for hundreds of years until well after WW2. It is an option.
If the Ukraine coalition exists to undermine NATO, then isn’t that an indictment on the flimsiness of NATO? If a member nation disagrees with the use of NATO resources (Hungary), then you can just cut them out of the decision by forming a new organization?
Similarly here, the WTO seems like the intended vehicle to litigate these concerns of economic intimidation? It seems like again, you want to undermine an established international institution by forming a new institution.
Can we be frank at least? We don’t truly believe in a rules-based global order that gives all nations a seat at the table. We have our true ideological allies (the D7), and everyone else we try to add is only on board for as long as it is beneficial for us.
This makes a lot of sense, and reminds me of my 2024 proposal for a European Military Alliance: https://pontifex.substack.com/p/european-defence-policy-how-europe
I specifically like the idea of "super-majority voting", rather than every country having a veto, because an organisation with lots of members, if every country has a veto then it ends up with nothing ever being able to be decided on.
In particular the "economic article 5" against economic coercion (e.g. by USA), and acts of aggression less than (e.g. by Russia) need to be triggerable on a supermajority (something like 65% of members, with members' weights being roughly proportional to GDP and military spending).
I dislike the idea of "light governance", though: the D7 should have democratically elected leadership, maybe a 5 member team elected by STV, and each member should have a permanent representative (like an ambassador) to the organisation. This would make it easier for decisions to be taken in a hurry where necessary.
Great concept. As such, meetings to flesh out the administration structures, organization functions and accountabilities and funding commitments need to occur sooner than later.
Americans Watch As Nazi Republicans Bankrupt The Country
Since “retired” president Nixon took us off the gold standard in 1971 the Nazi Republican policy has bankrupted the country with a $39T national debt This neoliberal policy created by the ultrawealthy from Reagan to the Bushes to Cheeto has led to a financial catastrophe and more than likely will lead to some form of another Great Depression And MSM and even Substack channels don’t understand this basic economic fact(https://bit.ly/3R81rjn)
Only 10% of Americans were in the middle class when Democrats took office and by 1960 more than 60% were in middle class in part because of the WWII effort but also because of the policies that FDR instigated to weather the depression brought on by the Republicans in the 1920’s with the tariff policy of Hoover, the straw that broke the camel’s back and brought about the Great Depression
Now since Reagan the “free trade” neoliberal Nazi Republican agenda is clear….use the levers of government to enrich the already wealthy, decimate the middle class, and make sure that the power of the government be used to consolidate that control by the rich upper class and create an oligarchic “blue blood” ruling class
How the Nazi Republicans have brought along some of the American electorate is not as so often reported the “MAGA” crowd but by the moniker of Christian values, the CNPP(Christian Nationalist Pedo Party) To gain power Hitler proclaimed “We tolerate no one in our ranks who attacks the ideas of Christianity. Our movement is Christian.” (Adolph Hitler 1928) Actually MAGA is code for Christian Nationalism so call it what it is, not what Cheeto calls it WE the People have been duped for 10y
So here we are, a debtor nation China knows this and calls our nation in decline And China is right All thanks to the Nazi Republican tax, nonregulatory, and “free trade policies exploiting the middle class and creating an oligarchic ruling class WE the People and not the Democratic party will be responsible for pulling the country out of this financial abyss, all created by the Nazi Republican over the last 46y