The Hero of the Davos Summit

By MAÎTRE BARKEV DAVIDIAN

The World Economic Forum (WEF) was held again this year in the village town of Davos, Switzerland, from January 19 to 23, 2026, with the participation of prominent political and economic figures from around the world.

On January 20, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech from the forum’s podium. His profound and seemingly historic address, which called on the world’s “middle powers” to come together and unite their forces against dominant great powers, unsettled U.S. President Donald Trump. The very next day, unapologetically and in keeping with his arrogant habit, Trump said in his own speech that “Canada lives at America’s expense and Prime Minister Carney should know that the next time he makes a statement.”

So what did Prime Minister Carney say that led the entire audience, without exception, to rise to their feet and applaud at the conclusion of his insightful speech?

He said: “Middle powers must work together, because if they are not at the table, they will end up on the menu.”

One hundred and fifty years ago, with a similar message, Khrimian Hayrik addressed his people when the fate of the Armenian nation was on the menu of the powerful, and at that time he advised them to come armed with an iron ladle in order to secure their rights.

Prime Minister Carney spoke about the breakdown and fragmentation of the world order—about how a noble chapter of history had come to an end and a brutal, even bestial, reality had begun, in which geopolitics recognizes no restraint by the great powers. Carney told the audience that certain countries—middle-power countries like Canada—are not powerless, and that they have the ability and the strength to create a new order that embodies their values, citing as examples respect for human rights, sustainable development, solidarity, sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of states.

Carney also said that every day we are reminded that we live in an era defined by rivalry among great powers, where the strong do whatever they can and the weak suffer by being forced to submit.

Concluding his remarks, the Canadian prime minister said that a country that cannot feed itself, secure its own energy, or defend itself has very few choices when order and law no longer protect it—and at that point, such a country is compelled to defend itself. Therefore, he said, middle powers, which have much to lose in a world fortified by bastions, must create a world through genuine cooperation in order to safeguard their interests. The great and powerful have their own strengths, he said, but we too have something—let us build our strength and work together.

Prime Minister Carney left Davos without staying on, so as not to hear President Donald Trump’s insulting remarks the following day.

The Canadian prime minister was never mistaken in calling on the world’s middle-power countries to come together and unite against the powerful.

Indeed, at a reception hosted by major corporations in Davos, President Trump reportedly told those present that sometimes it is necessary to be a dictator, and, alluding to what is said about him, declared: “They usually say that I’m a despicable dictator-type person. Yes, I am a dictator.” After the audience laughed, he added: “Sometimes a tyrant is needed.”

Colonialism of the past, in its repulsive new Trumpian form, is causing concern for humanity. In the White House meeting room, a map he displayed painted Canada, Venezuela, Cuba, and Greenland in the colors of the American flag. Donald Trump, who disregards all international laws and norms, shows contempt for institutions known for their human values and historical significance. Driven by an obsession to sacrifice everything to his own ambition, he changes names by affixing his own name to them. Alongside international piracy, he has also ignored his own country’s constitution, which clearly defines the limits of the powers granted to authority. His anti-immigrant enforcement squads (Immigration and Customs Enforcement—ICE) enter homes and workplaces arbitrarily and without judicial warrants, spreading fear everywhere. And unfortunately, many world leaders, adopting submissive and opportunistic stances, have become sycophants to Trump.

The Canadian prime minister, to his credit, did not take a submissive or opportunistic position and became THE HERO of the Davos Summit.