It took the voice of a Canadian Prime Minister to say the truth out loud

This was a week when the world looked north for global leadership, and Canada said, 'Yes, we can'

There are times in history when someone comes along capable of the kind of leadership that can guide the world out of darkness and into the light. This week, we were privileged to witness one such moment. While national leaders tiptoed around a madman for fear of earning his displeasure. Mark Carney delivered a speech (find the transcript here) that I am confident will go down in history either as a turning point or the greatest missed opportunity to halt the decline into geopolitical Darwinism.

I’ve included Mark’s full speech and the forum. You can find the forum by skipping to 17minutes and 25 seconds:

There were many standout moments in his address to the Davos Conference, but he opened with this stark and undeniable truth:

Today I will talk about a rupture in the world order, the end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality, where geopolitics, where the large, main power, geopolitics, is submitted to no limits, no constraints.

While I would strongly advise you to listen to not only his speech, but the forum which followed, I think the clip below gets to the heart of his message to the world:

It seems that every day we’re reminded that we live in an era of great power rivalry, that the rules based order is fading, that the strong can do what they can, and the weak must suffer what they must.

And this aphorism of Thucydides is presented as inevitable, as the natural logic of international relations reasserting itself.

And faced with this logic, there is a strong tendency for countries to go along to get along, to accommodate, to avoid trouble, to hope that compliance will buy safety.

Well, it won’t.

The whole reason we find ourselves facing democracy on life support is because the checks and balances intended by the founding fathers have failed. Not because the words and intent of the Constitution are flawed, but because those entrusted with the guardianship of their intent, chose to ignore the rules set forth in the founding document. While the blame can be placed directly at the feet of Republicans in Congress, along with the right leaning majority on the United States Supreme Court, Democratic lawmakers are not innocent parties either, given their failure to act when presented with opportunities to do so.

Never was this so ably demonstrated than by the seven Democrats who voted with the MAGA majority to fund ICE through to the end of the current financial year. They were: Don Davis of North Carolina, Tom Suozzi of New York, Henry Cuellar of Texas, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Laura Gillen of New York, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Jared Golden of Maine. All of these members are from districts that voted for Trump. And Democrats wonder why they are 23 points underwater.

There might be a question of attribution when it comes to the statement, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” but never have these words been truer than in the context of where we are today. What I want to make clear is that we are where we are as result of the stupidity of just 34% of eligible voters in America. If we discount those who voted against Trump, we are left with 90 million people who, in abdicating their societal responsibility to the Constitution, enabled the rise of fascism in America.

The results of Special and off-season elections clearly demonstrated that many who sat on their hands in November may now have seen the light, but sadly, playing catch-up does not help us in this moment. What it should do, however, is point to the fact that together with polling, there’s a clear indication that voters are deeply dissatisfied with Trump’s performance as president. He can go on all day promoting his fantasyland politics, but the stone-cold truth is, he’s failing the American people despite the fact that he refuses to believe it.

I notice, once again, as the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs fast approaches, Trump is again promising his $2000 bribe checks, because there’s nothing like being able to say the Supreme Court robbed Americans of their tariff dividend, despite having no intention to deliver on his lie. Every move Trump makes has been carefully crafted to stoke outrage if he doesn’t get what he wants. What’s been truly striking this week is the level of petulance he displays in his constant efforts to secure an opportunity for self-enrichment. He just can’t help his overwhelming compulsion to grift.

Anyone who saw Trump’s Davos rant as anything other than the ramblings of an old, rotund man disconnected from reality, bearing cannula marks and swollen ankles, needs to seek medical help themselves. For the record, this is the transcript of his speech, and reading it, rather than listening to it, truly drives home the lunacy of this moment. A moment in which world leaders are living in fear of what he will do next. His whole Davos team was an example of breathtaking, delusional arrogance, born of the belief that nobody dares challenge their behaviour, regardless of whom they threaten or attempt to bully. What they fail to understand is that, in the eyes of the world, they have become a pariah state no longer respected by anyone other than despots and authoritarian dictators.

This is a tale of two narratives with a singular objective, whether international or domestic. Rule by fear and division. The intellectual chasm between Mark Carney's speech and Trump's is frankly embarrassing. It is notable that Carney’s words were his own, and that’s why he was able to deliver them with sincerity and a sense of purpose. As for Trump, I’m pretty sure he was working from a graphic fantasy novel, and Lord did it show.

Not satisfied with destroying the American economy and the US reputation around the world, he adds insult to injury with his Board of Peace. A place where dictators, genocide apologists, and the worst of the worst on the global stage, can gather at a swanky geopolitical carvery, to dine out on the misery of vulnerable nations. Sort of an Epstein subsidiary for geopolitical abuse.

Trump is unquestionably in search of a ‘day after’ solution for when his presidency ends; he needs a home for his global bribery and racketeering model, in order to feed his insatiable greed for money and power. His latest presidency has enabled him to run a transnational extortion gang from the Oval Office with total impunity. He believes that after his presidency, he can transfer that power to the international stage through a shop front from behind which, he can extort nations backed by global autocratic partners. If you’re looking for evidence of his intent, look no further than his $1 billion per board seat fee.

Donald Trump is the Chairman of the Board. I’ve linked the full text of the charter, which has been verified by multiple sources and published by The Times of Israel:

I am grateful to Elaiv Leiblich, Professor of Law at the University of Tel Aviv, for his summary breakdown below:

"Membership in the Board of Peace is limited to States invited to participate by the Chairman" (Trump decides who's a member - veto power number 1)

"Decisions shall be made by a majority of the Member States present and voting, subject to the approval of the Chairman, who may also cast a vote in his capacity as Chairman in the event of a tie" (you thought P5 veto is a problem?? - veto power number 2)

"(Decisions of the Executive Board shall be made by a majority of its members present and voting, including the Chief Executive. Such decisions shall go into effect immediately, subject to veto by the Chairman at any time thereafter" (veto power number 3)

"(a) Donald J. Trump shall serve as inaugural Chairman of the Board of Peace, and he shall separately serve as inaugural representative of the United States of America, subject only to the provisions of Chapter III.
(b) The Chairman shall have exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfil the Board of Peace’s mission.
Article 3.3: Succession and Replacement
The Chairman shall at all times designate a successor for the role of Chairman. Replacement of the Chairman may occur only following voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity" (job for life)

"The Chairman, acting on behalf of the Board of Peace, is authorised to adopt resolutions or other directives, consistent with this Charter, to implement the Board of Peace’s mission" (hollow institutions)

"The Chairman is the final authority regarding the meaning, interpretation, and application of this Charter."

I think Elaiv Leiblich has perfectly summed up my thoughts. I have only included this and linked the text to the Charter, so you, as a reader, have a reference point for the absurdity of this modern-day Jesse James Gang venture, but on second thought, that’s an insult to Jesse James.

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