Carney's speech in Davos. “The Speech The World Has Been Waiting For”

Mark Carney outlined a vision of the West without the US, also after Donald Trump's presidency – writes “Der Spiegel” on Wednesday about the Canadian Prime Minister's speech in Davos on Tuesday. He calls it “the speech the world has been waiting for.”

The German magazine writes that at the World Economic Forum, Carney “outlined a vision of what liberal politics might look like after the breakdown of the liberal order.”

“The fact that the speech was shared tens of thousands of times after just a few hours is a testament not only to the power of the speech itself, but also to Carney's ability to capture the moment,” he adds.

“Der Spiegel” expresses hope that “this may be the beginning of a different, better policy.” One that is characterized by “greater realism, greater dignity and greater strategic foresight.”

“A partnership with the US will no longer be possible in the foreseeable future. At least not as we know it from recent decades. These are hard words. Carney says we have to face the truth – it's over,” we read further in the newspaper.

Der Spiegel notes that the Canadian prime minister did not mention Trump even once in his speech, which “may be the ultimate insult to a man for whom attention is everything.”

However, this is Carney's way of conveying that “this is not about Donald Trump.” “When Trump leaves, another president will come who will continue what Trump started. The same applies to Russia and China. The problem is bigger than the individuals at the top of power: the world has changed,” writes “Der Spiegel.”

The decade of globalization after the fall of the Berlin Wall “has come to an end” and we “face a new, chaotic order dominated by two competing superpowers – the US and China, and Russia, a wandering former superpower.”

“This speech was hanging in the air. Someone had to give it. It's a pity it wasn't a European politician,” concludes “Der Spiegel.”

Carney said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the current world order is breaking down and a moment of testing for middle-weight countries is coming. He declared that one cannot “live a lie about the mutual benefits of integration if integration becomes a source of enslavement.” He called on “middle powers” such as Canada to cooperate. “If you're not sitting at the table, you're on the menu,” argued the head of the Canadian government.

From Berlin Mateusz Obremski (PAP)

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