Carney at Davos "The old order is not coming back. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But from the fracture, we can build something better, stronger, and more just. "

Carney at Davos gave a brilliant speech.
 

Paul Wells reprints the whole speech here: The Carney doctrine

As I was listening to Carney, I was reminded again of Leonard Cohen's lines - which Carney used in speaking to the UN last fall:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

Once again, I think, that is what Carney is telling the world - our old order is cracked and its not coming back, but the light will get in for a new world order that is stronger and more just. 

TLDL (Too Long Didn't Listen)

Here are some excerpts from the speech:

"If great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interest, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate," says PM Mark Carney as he addresses the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. #cdnpoli

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— CPAC TV (@cpac.ca) January 20, 2026 at 10:59 AM

"We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy. But we believe that from the fracture we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just. This is the task of the middle powers," says PM Mark Carney in Davos speech. #cdnpoli

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— CPAC TV (@cpac.ca) January 20, 2026 at 11:06 AM

"In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice: compete with each other for favour, or to combine to create a third path with impact," says PM Mark Carney in a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. #cdnpoli

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— CPAC TV (@cpac.ca) January 20, 2026 at 11:04 AM

"On Arctic sovereignty, we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland's future. Our commitment to NATO's article 5 is unwavering," says Prime Minister Mark Carney in speech to World Economic Forum in Davos. #cdnpoli

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— CPAC TV (@cpac.ca) January 20, 2026 at 11:01 AM

TLDR (Too Long Didn't Read)
Europeans saw it as a message for Europe:

Thank God for Carney.

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— Greg Olear (@gregolear.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 3:25 PM

🇨🇦PM Carney: "...Stop invoking rules-based international order as though it still functions as advertised. Call it what it is: a system of intensifying great power rivalry where the most powerful pursue their interests using economic integration as coercion." (🧵2/6)

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— Dave Keating (@davekeating.substack.com) January 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM

🇨🇦PM Carney: "It means acting consistently, applying the same standards to allies and rivals. When middle powers criticize economic intimidation from one direction but stay silent when it comes from another, we are keeping the sign in the window." (🧵3/6)

— Dave Keating (@davekeating.substack.com) January 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM

"It means building what we claim to believe in, rather than waiting for the old order to be restored. It means creating institutions and agreements that function as described, and it means reducing the leverage that enables coercion." (🧵4/6)

— Dave Keating (@davekeating.substack.com) January 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM

🇨🇦PM Carney: "Diversification internationally is not just economic prudence; it’s a material foundation for honest foreign policy, because countries earn the right to principled stands by reducing their vulnerability to retaliation." (🧵5/6)

— Dave Keating (@davekeating.substack.com) January 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM

Here in Europe we can only dream of having a leader who is so honest with citizens. Can you imagine a Europe where we had someone like Carney as 🇪🇺President? Instead we're stuck with von der Leyen, Rutte, Starmer, Merz, Meloni. Maybe they will actually listen to what Carney is telling them (🧵6/6)

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— Dave Keating (@davekeating.substack.com) January 20, 2026 at 1:00 PM

Canadians saw it as an Elbows Up message for Canada:

Hi I’ve just watched the Mark Carney deliver a speech at Davos. I don’t recall listening to any speech, from any politician that had the analysis, clarity, foresight, honesty, erudition, political integrity and insight. It was a call to other middling powers to work together to choose between accepting compliant subjugation to great power hegemony, or working together to stand up against great power intimidation. Truly the best political speech I’ve heard in my lifetime, Canada is so lucky to have such a man leading the country. In this difficult time, I only wish UK current leadership could do half of that, instead of trying to placate the school bully; school bullies always come for your lunch money time and time again until you stand up to them, and with a little bit of help from the friends resistance completely. 

- Peter Mansbridge

Read on Substack

🔴 Prime Minister Mark Carney stated firmly and repeatedly during his election campaign: “If the United States no longer wants to lead, Canada will.” Today, with his historic speech in Davos that the entire world is talking about and referring to as the best speech by a world leader on the global stage, in DECADES … Canada became the leader of the free world. Our Prime Minister is the epitome of what I mean when I repeatedly say, “Leadership Matters.” 🍁 I'm so proud today of the leader we chose.

- Fun Tom

Read on Substack

As a certified non-Carney fan, thank fuck it wasn't Poilievre standing up there today.

— Canada's Border Czar (@goodie-fx.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 11:48 AM

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Americans saw it as a message to Trump:

📌I'm glad Mark Carney and Canada have had enough of our fascist shit. I sure have.

— D. Earl Stephens (@dearlstephens.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 9:12 PM

And they compared Carney to their guy:

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Newsom is in Davos too:

Donald Trump is headed to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland to brag about wrecking the American economy. That's why I've also flown to Davos — with an extra suitcase of kneepads for those caving to Trump's insanity — to vigorously defend California as an alternative to Trump's world disorder.

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— Governor Gavin Newsom (@governor.ca.gov) January 20, 2026 at 12:19 PM

Ha ha!

The Trump administration’s main event venue in Davos was targeted by scammers who have sold billionaires fraudulent tickets to access USA House.

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— Bloomberg News (@bloomberg.com) January 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM

Look, I’m not saying that Trump turning the plane around and then nuking all the billionaires in Davos because they spent all day making fun of him wouldn’t be the *most* 2026 Thing ever, but it would be tough to top

— Chris Kluwe (@chriswarcraft.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 11:05 PM

Wow

Danish MEP Anders Vistisen telling Donald Trump to "F--k Off" in front of the entire world at the World Economic Forum in Davos. 👍

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— Resistance Canada🍁 (@resistance-canada.bsky.social) January 20, 2026 at 11:37 AM

waking up to the Belgian PM quoting Gramsci at Davos re: Trump www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

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— Melissa Gira Grant (@melissagiragrant.com) January 20, 2026 at 7:09 AM

Greenland was not amused at Trump's Monday night cartoon posts:

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And Dean Blundell fixed Trump's fantasy map: