Czech dissident and playwright Vaclav Havel who would later become President of the Czech Republic, wrote in 1967 a satirical play ‘The Memorandum,’ which parodied bureaucracy and society’s adherence to communist rule. Havel critiqued the system by utilizing an invented language “Ptydepe” to magnify the incomprehensibility of bureaucratic jargon or newspeak which disallows ordinary citizens from living in truth. It shares a similar theme from his earlier play “The Garden Party” where collective conformity to the desensitized attitude of the regime tramples on individualism and divergent creativity.
The power of the pen wielded by Havel has since made an impact in world politics, and from time to time, instigate a moral disturbance amongst the obedient class into stepping out of the shadows of hegemony. Resistance against the resurgence of totalitarianism does not always have to be voiced out from the main squares and peripheral arenas of protests. Defiance takes many forms and can be staged even theatrically to get the message across and arouse its audience from apathy. The greater the crisis, the more likely we hear a conscientious expert with the gravitas and knowledge of history to not just raise awareness about what’s really going on behind the thrones of power, but to call out the lies of an ‘emperor’ who struts around naked in invisible clothes. Speaking truth to power needs perfect timing and a dramatic flair to pull it off. Haranguing is most effective when all the elements of a powerful speech come together. It must be addressed at a critical moment in history against a hegemon who roguishly commands without rhyme and reason.
The political drama that has recently been creating tensions and disturbing world peace has compelled Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to draw inspiration from Havel’s criticism of the state’s coercive power. Though his reference is rooted in the historic origins of Havel’s stance with regard to the powerlessness of its subjects under communism, his choice of narrative outlines an argument for the sake of democracies that value cooperation in light of what he termed a “rupture” in the world order due to erratic shifts in U.S. foreign and economic policies.
The American hegemony still casts a certain hypnotic charm to others, but it has reached a precipice beyond its borders where a leader, standing his ground on Canadian soil, must dig deep into his arsenal of words to expose the charade of world order into the light.
Carney delivered a ‘powerful’ speech at the 56th World Economic Forum in January of this year calling on middle-powers in most of the European States at Davos to reflect on the parallelism of the greengrocer analogy used by Havel in his essay “Power of the Powerless” written in 1978 to current situation.
Invoking the creative impulse of the Czech dissident who laid out a plethora of rhetorical devices in his famous speech, the Canadian Prime Minister followed suit with his own version that suitably applies to critical times and crux of geo-politics. He called on middle powers to unite against economic coercion from great powers which have been using “economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, financial infrastructure as coercion, supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.”
Stating the obvious of the importance of genuine cooperation, Carney remarked succinctly with “the middle powers must act together because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
Another remark by Carney cited the aphorism of Thucydides; “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.” If collective problem solving are under threat, building separate fortresses is not the way to adapt to the new reality. Fragmentation within the collective only favours the strong. Sovereignty and territorial integrity of states must be upheld in a new world order through respect, cooperation, and solidarity.
Carney addressed the gaps between rhetoric and reality and summoned others, including smaller countries, to stop invoking the rules-based international order that no longer works. “The powerful have their power. But we have the capacity to stop pretending, to name reality, to build our strength at home and to act together.”
The expansive political essay by Havel expressed ideas linked by a common cause to open the eyes of the blind and rouse the ones who submit with “fatalistic respect for rulers and its automatic acceptance of all their claims.” Havel saw the power structure as manipulating the day-to-day existence of all citizens, with the greengrocer putting up the sign on the window because everyone does it, and if he were to refuse, others might see it as a sign of disloyalty and could be reproached for it. It is therefore the individuals participating in the ritual that confirm and fulfill the system requiring loyalty to be declared publicly via the slogan “Workers of the World Unite!.”
Prior to the event at Davos, an invitation was sent out by the hegemon to its allies to join the ‘Board of Peace’ which seeks to bolster peace worldwide, particularly the Gaza peace plan.
The invitation from Canada was later rescinded after receiving no response from the Prime Minister. Upon his return to Canada, Carney apparently walked the talk, removing from the window dressing a double-sided board that says ‘Peace’ at the front. ####