Editing Middle power (section)

===Self-defined by states===
The term first entered Canadian political discourse after [[World War II]]. [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Louis St. Laurent]], for example, called [[Canada]] "a power of the middle rank" and helped to lay out the classical definition of Canadian middle power diplomacy. When he was advocating for Canada's election to the [[United Nations Security Council]], he said that while "...the special nature of [Canada's] relationship to the United Kingdom and the United States complicates our responsibilities," Canada was not a "[[Satellite state|satellite]]" of either but would "continue to make our decisions objectively, in the light of our obligations to our own people and their interest in the welfare of the international community."<ref>H.H. Herstien, L.J. Hughes, R.C. Kirbyson. ''Challenge & Survival: The History of Canada'' (Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, 1970). p 411</ref> Canadian leaders believed Canada was a middle power because it was a junior partner in larger alliances (e.g. [[NATO]], [[North American Aerospace Defense Command|NORAD]]), was actively involved in resolving disputes outside its own region (e.g. [[Suez Crisis]]), was not a former colonial power and therefore neutral in anti-colonial struggles, worked actively in the [[United Nations]] to represent the interests of smaller nations and to prevent the dominance of the superpowers (often being elected to the [[United Nations Security Council]] for such reasons), and because it was involved in humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts around the world.

In March 2008, [[Australia]]n [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]] [[Kevin Rudd]] defined his country's foreign policy as one of "middle power diplomacy" along the lines of similar criteria. Australia would "influence international decision-makers" on issues such as "global economic, security and environmental challenges."<ref name="Shanahan">Shanahan D (2008) [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23437898-2702,00.html Time to go global, urges Rudd] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517072447/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23437898-2702,00.html |date=17 May 2008 }}, ''The Australian''</ref>