DISPATCHES

Go beyond the books:
research, places, ideas, and the real stories behind the fiction

Thinking the Unthinkable

Robert C. Hill

Published on: 01/10/2026

Mark Carney says planning for a possible U.S. attack is simply “risk management.” He’s right. Here’s why governments must think about extreme scenarios—and what writing Invasion taught me about the value of asking, “What if?”

Mark CarneyUS invasion of CanadaCanada US relationsCanadian defence planningcontingency planningDefence Scheme No. 1national resiliencegeopolitical risk

What Could an Alliance of Middle Powers Actually Look Like?

Robert C. Hill

Published on: 21/08/2026

What happens when the world’s middle powers stop relying on a superpower? A look at the fictional Sentinel Compact, Mark Carney’s “alliance of middle powers” idea, and what a post-American strategic order might actually require.

fiction becoming realitynear-future thrillermiddle powersMark Carneystrategic autonomyNATO without Americapost-American world orderCanadian sovereigntyCanada foreign policygeopolitical alliancescollective defencedefence cooperationmultipolar worldrules-based international orderCanada and NATOliberal democraciesalliance of middle powersInvasion Robert C. Hill

ROBERT C. HILL™, RCH™, CANADA AT WAR™ and associated logos and designs are trademarks of Roberto Cuesta Sevillano, writing as Robert C. Hill

© 2026 BrightFlame Books, a registered trade name of Hypersuasion Consulting Ltd. | Privacy Policy

Note: Links on this page may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

DISPATCHES

Go beyond the books: research, places, ideas, and the real stories behind the fiction

Thinking the Unthinkable

What Could an Alliance of Middle Powers Actually Look Like?

Go beyond the books:
research, places, ideas, and the real stories behind the fiction