Everything is connected
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speech at the opening of the Munich Security Conference, amounted to a strategic repositioning of Germany: still anchored in NATO, but preparing for a future in which American guarantees are less reliable and Europe must carry more responsibility.
“In the era of great powers, our freedom is no longer simply guaranteed. It is under threat,” said Merz.
In response to the Munich Security Report 2026, Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, is defended the US against criticism that the Trump administration’s shift in thinking about its global policies poses a real challenge to the liberal international order.
Source:
The Guardian: US not trying to dismantle NATO or undermine current world order, US ambassador says in response to MSC’s criticism report https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/feb/09/europe-eu-jimmy-lai-ukraine-russia-us-portugal-latest-news-updates
Elsewhere:
Munich Security Report 2026: https://securityconference.org/en/publications/munich-security-report/2026/
MSC Report asserts Europe needs to be more assertive and militarily independent from the US administration https://natsec.ca/2026/munich-security-report-warns-europe-assertive-militarily-independent-from-us/
Trump said Monday, February 9, 2026, he will not allow the opening of a new bridge and trade route connecting Ontario and Michigan until the US is “compensated for everything we have given” Canada. In a lengthy anti-social post on his platform, Trump called for immediate negotiations over the bridge between Windsor and Detroit, saying he would seek US ownership of “at least one half of this asset.”
The Gordie Howe International Bridge is publicly owned by both Canada and the state of Michigan, with Canada funding the entire project.
Sources:
Trump’s anti-social post Monday February 9, 2026: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116043090074364624
The Munich Security Report 2026 warns the greatest challenge to the liberal international order is “coming from within” through the dramatic shift in the current US administration that no longer shares a commitment to liberal democratic norms, values, and its alliances.
The world has entered a period of wrecking-ball politics. Sweeping destruction – rather than careful reforms and policy corrections – is the order of the day. The most prominent of those who promise to free their country from the existing order’s constraints and rebuild a stronger, more prosperous nation is the current US administration. As a result, more than 80 years after construction began, the US-led post-1945 international order is now under destruction.
Across 37 countries, the state-aligned attackers are reported to have infiltrated networks of 70 organizations, including three ministries of finance, other government ministries, five national law enforcement and border control agencies.
Among those compromised, per the report: Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Czech Republic’s parliament and military, an Indonesian government official, and a Taiwanese power equipment supplier.
Testifying before a parliamentary committee and speaking to reporters on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, foreign affairs deputy minister David Morrison and Nathalie Drouin, national security adviser to Prime Minister Mark Carney, said foreign adversaries are likely to use the increasingly popular artificial intelligence technology
The use of AI to disrupt the election could come from foreign actors or even those just trying to cause mischief.
For decades, many nations have operated under a comfortable assumption: that digital security, like physical defence, could be outsourced to trusted allies. That assumption is now under scrutiny.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, US President Donald Trump’s remarks on defence, security and national capability served as a timely reminder that geopolitical certainty is eroding.
Trump said on Thursday January 29, 2026, the US was “decertifying their Bombardier Global Expresses, and all aircraft made in Canada” and threatened a 50% import tariffs on all aircraft made in the country until such time as Canada certified a number of airplanes produced by Gulfstream, an American company.
Transport Canada is the agency responsible for Canadian certifications.
There are 150 Bombardier Global Express aircraft in service registered in the US operated by 115 operators and 5,425 total aircraft of various types made in Canada in service registered in the US.
Kaja Kallas is the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. Kaja Kallas was the first female prime minister of Estonia.
This agreement, signed by David McGuinty, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, and His Excellency Kanji Yamanouchi, the Japanese Ambassador to Canada, and announced Tuesday, January 27, 2026, will help Canadian and Japanese companies co-develop projects that require the transfer of equipment, technology, or Intellectual Property.
Canadian and Japanese companies will now be able to work more closely together, build together and strengthen both countries defence industries and will also permit Japan to export defence equipment and technology to Canada, providing the Canadian Armed Forces with an additional source of supply.
Source:
News Release: Department of National Defence: Minister McGuinty signs an Equipment and Technology Transfer Agreement with Japan https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2026/01/minister-mcguinty-signs-an-equipment-and-technology-transfer-agreement-with-japan.html
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