Two of the world's most consequential institutions made pivotal moves this week, each signaling that the era of emergency postures and inward focus may be giving way to something new. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate for the first time in years, closing a long chapter of cheap money that sustained economies through crisis and recovery. Across the Atlantic, the European Union proposed an unprecedented associate membership for Canada, stretching its institutional imagination beyond the continent's traditional borders. Together, these developments suggest that major powers a