Speech 02 of 50 · Leadership in Uncertain Times

Part 1

Understanding the speechभाषण को समझें

Mark Carney argues that the international rules-based order is undergoing a rupture rather than a routine transition. He uses Václav Havel’s greengrocer parable to show how public conformity sustains a system people privately question. He urges middle powers to recognise geopolitical reality, strengthen domestic resilience and cooperate through practical coalitions.मार्क कार्नी का तर्क है कि विश्व व्यवस्था केवल बदल नहीं रही, बल्कि उसमें गहरा टूटाव आ रहा है। वे वाक्लाव हावेल के दुकानदार की कहानी से दिखाते हैं कि सार्वजनिक दिखावा किसी व्यवस्था को कैसे बनाए रखता है। वे मध्यम शक्तियों से सच्चाई स्वीकारने, अपनी क्षमता बढ़ाने और मिलकर काम करने का आग्रह करते हैं।

Central argument · मुख्य विचार

Middle powers gain influence through honesty, resilience, principled pragmatism and cooperation.सच्चाई, तैयारी, सिद्धांतों और सहयोग से मध्यम शक्तियाँ प्रभाव बढ़ा सकती हैं।

Speaking challenge · भाषण अभ्यास

Move from sober diagnosis to constructive confidence. Use deliberate pauses after contrasts and memorable lines.गंभीर विश्लेषण से आत्मविश्वासपूर्ण समाधान की ओर बढ़ें। विरोधी विचारों और यादगार पंक्तियों के बाद विराम दें।

Seven movements of the argumentतर्क के सात चरण

Part 2

How to deliver the speechभाषण कैसे प्रस्तुत करें

Element	Delivery instruction

Suggested stage arrangementमंच की सुझाई गई व्यवस्था

♟

MICROPHONE · SPEAKER

CENTRE STAGE · TWO SOFT LIGHTS · MINIMAL PROPS

Use one speaker, one microphone, a neutral backdrop and two soft lights. Avoid distracting props or excessive movement.एक वक्ता, एक माइक्रोफ़ोन, साधारण पृष्ठभूमि और दो हल्की रोशनियाँ रखें। ध्यान भटकाने वाली वस्तुओं और अनावश्यक हलचल से बचें।

Part 2 continued

Seven-day rehearsal planसात दिनों की अभ्यास योजना

Part 3

Speech statisticsभाषण के आँकड़े

The supplied five-page Rev transcript is reproduced below for study. Speaker and translator labels and timestamps are retained. The statistics update if you edit the text.अध्ययन के लिए आपके दिए गए पाँच-पृष्ठीय ट्रांसक्रिप्ट का पाठ नीचे है। वक्ता, अनुवादक और समय संकेत रखे गए हैं। पाठ बदलने पर आँकड़े अपने-आप बदलेंगे।

Thank you very much, Larry. I'm going to start in French and then I'll switch back to English.

Translator (01:53):
It is both a pleasure and a duty to be with you tonight in this pivotal moment that Canada and the world's going through. 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. On the other hand, I would like to tell you that the other countries, especially intermediate powers like Canada, are not powerless. They have the capacity to build a new order that encompasses our values, such as respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the various states. The power of the less power starts with honesty.

Mark Carney (03:03):
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 Thucydities 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.

(03:48)
Well, it won't. So what are our options? In 1978, the Czech dissident Vaclav Havel, later president, wrote an essay called The Power of the Powerless. And in it, he asked a simple question, how did the communist system sustain itself? And his answer began with the green grocer. Every morning, the shopkeeper places a sign in his window. Workers of the world unite. He doesn't believe it. No one does. But he places the sign anyway to avoid trouble, to signal compliance to get along.

(04:28)
And because every shopkeeper on every street does the same, the system persists. Not through violence alone, but through the participation of ordinary people in rituals they privately know to be false. Havel called this living within a lie. The system's power comes not from its truth, but from everyone's willingness to perform as if it were true. And its fragility comes from the same source. When even one person stops performing, when the green grocer removes his sign, the illusion begins to crack.

(05:07)
Friends, it is time for companies and countries to take their signs down. For decades, for decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order. We joined its institutions, we praised its principles we benefited from its predictability. And because of that, we could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection. We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigor depending on the identity of the accused or the victim.

(06:03)
This fiction was useful. An American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes. So we placed the sign in the window. We participated in the rituals and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality. This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.

(06:38)
Over the past two decades, a series of crises in finance, health, energy, and geopolitics have laid bare the risks of extreme global integration. But more recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited. You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.

(07:13)
The multilateral institutions on which the middle powers have relied, the WTO, the UN, the COP, the architecture, the very architecture of collective problem solving are under threat. And as a result, many countries are drawing the same conclusions that they must develop greater strategic autonomy in energy, food, critical minerals, in finance and supply chains. And this impulse is understandable. A country that can't feed itself, fuel itself, or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself. But let's be clear-eyed about where this leads. A world of fortresses will be poorer, more fragile, and less

Mark Carney (08:00):
... sustainable. And there's another truth. If great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate. Hegemons cannot continually monetize their relationships. Allies will diversify to hedge against uncertainty. They'll buy insurance, increase options in order to rebuild sovereignty, sovereignty that was once grounded in rules, but will increasingly be anchored in the ability to withstand pressure.

(08:43)
This room knows this is classic risk management. Risk management comes at a price, but that cost of strategic autonomy, of sovereignty can also be shared. Collective investments in resilience are cheaper than everyone building their own fortresses. Shared standards reduce fragmentations. Complementarities are a positive sum. And the question for middle powers, like Canada, is not whether to adapt to the new reality, we must. The question is whether we adapt by simply building higher walls or whether we can do something more ambitious?

(09:26)
Now, Canada was amongst the first to hear the wake-up call, leading us to fundamentally shift our strategic posture. Canadians know that our old comfortable assumptions that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security, that assumption is no longer valid. And our new approach rests on what Alexander Stubb, the president of Finland, has termed value-based realism. Or to put another way, we aim to be both principled and pragmatic. Principled in our commitment to fundamental values, sovereignty, territorial integrity, the prohibition of the use of force, except when consistent with the UN Charter and respect for human rights. And pragmatic in recognizing the progress is often incremental, that interests diverge that not every partner will share all of our values.

(10:22)
So, we're engaging broadly, strategically, with open eyes. We actively take on the world as it is not wait around for world we wish to be. We are calibrating our relationships so their depth reflects our values. And we're prioritizing broad engagement to maximize our influence and given the fluidity of the world at the moment, the risks that this poses and the stakes for what comes next. And we are no longer just relying on the strength of our values, but also the value of our strength. We are building that strength at home.

(11:02)
Since my government took office, we have cut taxes on incomes, on capital gains and business investment. We have removed all federal barriers to interprovincial trade. We are fast tracking $8 trillion of investments in energy, AI, critical minerals, new trade corridors and beyond. We're doubling our defense spending by the end of this decade, and we're doing so in ways that build our domestic industries. And we are rapidly diversifying abroad. We've agreed a comprehensive strategic partnership with the EU, including joining SAFE, the European defense procurement arrangements. We have signed 12 other trade and security deals on four continents in six months.

(11:44)
In the past few days, we've concluded new strategic partnerships with China and Qatar. We're negotiating free trade packs with India, ASEAN, Thailand, Philippines, and Mercosur.

(11:57)
We're doing something else. To help solve global problems, we're pursuing variable geometry. In other words, different coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests. So, on Ukraine, we're a core member of the Coalition of the Willing and one of the largest per capita contributors to its defense and security. 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.

(12:41)
So, we're working with our NATO allies, including the Nordic-Baltic Eight, to further secure the alliance's northern and western flanks, including through Canada's unprecedented investments in over-the-horizon radar, in submarines, in aircraft and boots on the ground, boots on the ice. Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland and calls for focused talks to achieve our shared objectives of security and prosperity in the Arctic.

(13:16)
On plurilateral trade, we're championing efforts to build a bridge between the Transpacific Partnership and the European Union, which would create a new training block of 1.5 billion people. On critical minerals, we're forming buyer's clubs anchored in the G7, so that the world can diversify away from concentrated supply. And on AI, we're cooperating with like-minded democracies to ensure that we won't ultimately be forced to choose between hegemons and hyperscalers.

(13:48)
This is not naive multilateralism, nor is it relying on their institutions. It's building coalitions that work issues by issue with partners who share enough common ground to act together. In some cases, this will be the vast majority of nations. What it's doing is creating a dense web of connections across trade investment culture on which we can draw for future challenges and opportunities. I argue the middle powers must act together because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu. But I'd also say that great powers can afford for now to go it alone. They have the market size, the military capacity and the leverage to dictate terms, middle powers do not.

(14:41)
But when we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness. We accept what's offered. We compete with each other to be the most accommodating. This is not sovereignty. It's the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination. In a world of great power rivalry, the countries in between have a choice, compete with each other for favor or to combine to create a third path with impact. We shouldn't allow the rise of hard power to blind us to the fact that the power of legitimacy, integrity, and rules will remain strong if we choose to wield them together, which brings me back to Havel. What does it mean for middle powers to live the truth? Well, first, it means naming reality. 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. It means acting consistently, applying the same standards to allies and rivals.

Mark Carney (16:00):
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. 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. That's building a strong domestic economy. It should be every government's immediate priority. And 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.

(16:48)
So, Canada. Canada has what the world wants. We are an energy superpower. We hold vast reserves of critical minerals. We have the most educated population in the world. Our pension funds are amongst the world's largest and most sophisticated investors. In other words, we have capital, talent. We also have a government with immense fiscal capacity to act decisively. And we have the values to which many others aspire. Canada is a pluralistic society that works. Our public square is loud, diverse, and free. Canadians remain committed to sustainability. We are a stable and reliable partner in a world that is anything but. A partner that builds and values relationships for the long term. And we have something else. We have a recognition of what's happening and a determination to act accordingly. We understand that this rupture calls for more than adaptation. It calls for honesty about the world as it is.

(17:55)
We are taking the sign out of the window. 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: the countries that have the most to lose from a world of fortresses and the most to gain from genuine cooperation. The powerful have their power. But we have something too. The capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home, and to act together. That is Canada's path. We choose it openly and confidently, and it is a path wide open to any country willing to take it with us.

(18:50)
Thank you very much.

Total words

Unique words

Lexical diversity (type–token ratio)

0 min

Estimated speaking time at 120 wpm

Method: apostrophe contractions and hyphenated compounds each count as one word; case is ignored for uniqueness. Numbers are not counted as words.

Unique words in the speechभाषण के सभी अलग-अलग शब्द — सुनने के लिए शब्द पर क्लिक करें

Four-column vocabulary list. Select any word to hear its British English pronunciation. The list updates when the speech is edited.चार स्तम्भों में शब्द दिए गए हैं। सही उच्चारण सुनने के लिए शब्द पर क्लिक करें।

Repeat pronunciation · उच्चारण दोहराएँ

British English voice will be selected when available on your device.

Part 4

25 synonyms students could useविद्यार्थियों के लिए 25 समानार्थी शब्द

Vocabulary alternatives are for enrichment, not automatic substitutions in every sentence.ये वैकल्पिक शब्द शब्द-ज्ञान बढ़ाने के लिए हैं। इन्हें हर वाक्य में बिना संदर्भ समझे न बदलें।

Repeat pronunciation · उच्चारण दोहराएँ

British English voice will be selected when available on your device.

#	Original word	Possible synonym

Part 5

25 antonyms students could useविद्यार्थियों के लिए 25 विलोम शब्द

Repeat pronunciation · उच्चारण दोहराएँ

British English voice will be selected when available on your device.

#	Original word	Antonym

Part 6

25 figures of speech & rhetorical devices25 अलंकार और प्रभावशाली भाषण-तकनीकें

The examples marked “suggested addition” are new illustrative lines rather than quotations from the speech. Ethos, pathos, logos and imperatives are rhetorical devices, not figures of speech in the narrow sense.“सुझाया गया उदाहरण” लिखी पंक्तियाँ मूल भाषण से नहीं ली गई हैं। Ethos, Pathos, Logos और Imperative प्रभावशाली भाषण की तकनीकें हैं; संकीर्ण अर्थ में साहित्यिक अलंकार नहीं।

Repeat pronunciation · उच्चारण दोहराएँ

British English voice will be selected when available on your device.

#	Device	Short descriptionसंक्षिप्त परिचय	Example / application

Vocabulary practice

Interactive five-question quizपाँच प्रश्नों की इंटरैक्टिव प्रश्नोत्तरी

Part 7

Director’s annotated performance guideनिर्देशक की प्रस्तुति मार्गदर्शिका

[ / ] — Short pause, approximately 0.5 second

[ // ] — Longer pause, approximately 1–2 seconds

[ ↑ ] — Increase energy or vocal projection

[ ↓ ] — Soften voice or reduce pace

[ EMPHASIS ] — Stress the important word

[ LOOK ] — Deliberate audience eye contact

Opening — Measured warningशुरुआत — गंभीर चेतावनी

Use a controlled pace and serious expression for the diagnosis of great-power rivalry. Pause after “Well, it won’t.” and introduce the Havel story with a conversational tone.

Middle — Explanation and contrastमध्य — व्याख्या और विरोध

Make the greengrocer example vivid without theatrical exaggeration. Stress “rupture, not a transition” and contrast the risk of isolated fortresses with shared resilience.

Final appeal — Constructive resolveअंत — सकारात्मक संकल्प

Build energy through the choices available to middle powers. Deliver “Nostalgia is not a strategy” with a clean pause. End with open posture and confident, unhurried phrasing.

Part 8

Teacher’s interactive assessmentशिक्षक का इंटरैक्टिव मूल्यांकन

Adjust each score to assess a rehearsal or final performance.अभ्यास या अंतिम प्रस्तुति का मूल्यांकन करने के लिए हर अंक को बदलें।

60 / 100

Part 9

Differentiated school productionकक्षा के स्तर के अनुसार भाषण प्रस्तुति

Level	Recommended approach
Classes 6–7	Selected 2–3-minute extract; focus on the greengrocer story, clear pronunciation and a simple message about honesty.
Classes 8–9	Approximately 4–6 minutes; explain the contrast between isolation and cooperation with clear pauses.
Classes 10–12	Extended extract or complete transcript; analyse historical allusions, argument structure, geopolitical vocabulary and persuasive delivery.

Director’s recommendation: Do not imitate Mark Carney mechanically. Develop a clear, credible speaking voice: analytical in the opening, persuasive in the middle and confidently constructive in the conclusion.

Historical context: Discuss references to identity, war and dictatorship sensitively and accurately.

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