Carney's Davos Speech Warns of World Order Collapse

Canadian PM's Stark Warning at World Economic Forum

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a powerful speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos that received a standing ovation and widespread praise from international observers. In his 16-minute address, Carney declared that the current world order is experiencing a 'rupture' rather than a transition, and warned that the rules-based international system is crumbling.

'Nostalgia Is Not a Strategy'

Carney, a former central banker who has attended Davos dozens of times, didn't mention President Trump by name, but his references were unmistakable. 'Let me not mince words: we are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition period,' Carney told the audience. 'The way the world is organized politically and economically is not coming back. The rules-based world order is faltering. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy.'

The speech comes against the backdrop of Trump's threats to annex Greenland and impose tariffs on European allies who oppose his territorial ambitions. Trump has threatened 10% tariffs on eight European countries starting next month, escalating to 25% in June if they don't support his Greenland takeover.

The Greengrocer's Sign: A Warning Against Compliance

Carney drew a powerful analogy from Czech dissident Václav Havel's 1979 essay 'The Power of the Powerless.' 'His answer began with a greengrocer,' Carney explained. 'Every morning this shopkeeper hangs a sign in his window: Workers of the world, unite! He doesn't believe it himself. Nobody believes it. But he hangs the sign anyway, to avoid trouble. And because every shopkeeper on every street does the same, the system persists.'

Carney argued that systems maintain power because people pretend they're true. 'If one person stops acting, if the greengrocer removes his sign, the illusion begins to crack. It's time for businesses and countries to remove their signs.'

Middle Powers Must Unite or 'Be on the Menu'

The Canadian prime minister called on middle powers like Canada to join forces in the face of great power aggression. 'Because if we're not at the table, then we're on the menu,' he warned, using a phrase that resonated throughout the conference halls.

Carney's speech has been hailed as a significant moment in international diplomacy. Canadian professor of international relations Jack Cunningham told The Guardian: 'Carney is the first major Western leader to acknowledge that the systems of international order are crumbling. Many Western leaders are looking for someone to chart the course, and this speech is an important signal.'

Geopolitical Context: Greenland Crisis and Shifting Alliances

The speech comes as Canada has been strengthening ties with China, with Carney recently calling the relationship with Beijing 'more predictable than with the U.S.' This strategic pivot reflects growing concerns about Trump's unpredictability and his repeated references to Canada as 'the 51st state.'

Trump arrived in Davos shortly after Carney's speech, where European leaders hoped to persuade him to abandon his Greenland plans. The U.S. president has justified his territorial ambitions by citing national security concerns about Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic, despite the U.S. already having a military base in Greenland.

The National Observer called Carney's address 'the most important in the country's history to date,' while The New York Times noted Canada's strategic interests in distancing itself from an increasingly unpredictable neighbor.

As the world watches the unfolding Greenland crisis, Carney's speech marks a defining moment in how middle powers are responding to the breakdown of established international norms and the rise of great power aggression.