Published February 9, 2026

In 1939, reviewing a book by Bertrand Russell, George Orwell wrote, “We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men.”   

January saw international leaders meet in Davos, Switzerland. The most awaited speech was Trump’s, after weeks of demanding sovereignty over Greenland. The most surprising speech came from Canadian PM Carney. Lincolnian in its brevity and straightforwardness, it was shocking because it stated the obvious. That the law-based, liberal world order was over. It then went on to encourage the so-called middle-powers to team up, in an attempt to save what is left, and thus to move away from their reliance on the USA. 

The obvious has now been stated. Its first effect, along with Trump’s for-now rebuffed efforts to acquire Greenland, is to have many of Europe’s right-wing politicians try to distance themselves from Trump.  

But what remains to be seen is the more important aspect of Carney’s speech. Will Europe’s (and Iceland’s) politicians now heed his call, and start working towards maintaining what we can, by hanging together with other “middle-powers”? If not, there is a famous quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin; “We will all hang separately.”