{"id":683,"date":"2026-01-22T01:40:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T01:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/?p=683"},"modified":"2026-01-23T22:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T22:28:26","slug":"davos-2026-thank-you-world-for-standing-up-to-the-bully","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mewetoo.com\/blog\/683\/davos-2026-thank-you-world-for-standing-up-to-the-bully\/","title":{"rendered":"Davos 2026: Thank You World for Standing Up to the Bully"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Standing<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are moments when political speeches stop sounding like “politics” and start sounding like common sense. At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, French President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> shared a vision that felt less like a lecture and more like a shared experience. He stripped away the jargon to address a core truth: whether you’re a world leader or just a person trying to get through the day, the choice between respect and bullying defines everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His words were simple and direct:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe do prefer respect to bullies.\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cWe do prefer science to conspiracies.\u201d
\u201cAnd we do prefer the rule of law to brutality.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Macron warned against \u201ca shift towards a world without rules<\/strong>,\u201d where the strong impose their will while weaker partners suffer – reinforcing that respect and law, not force, should guide global relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to argue with any of that. Me We Too<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a Slogan – A Response<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

That line – respect over bullies<\/em> – wasn\u2019t a slogan. It was a response to real tension. It was standing up to a bully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Macron was responding to more than just U.S. President Donald Trump<\/strong> threatening heavy tariffs if Denmark or NATO doesn\u2019t give the United States control of Greenland, a plan Europe opposes. He was also addressing Trump\u2019s earlier comments that the U.S. would take the territory \u201cthe easy way or the hard way,\u201d raising alarms across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go along to get along?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/strong> didn’t come to Davos to play nice. In a speech that many are calling the “Carney Doctrine,” he dismantled the idea that we can simply wait for the world to return to “normal.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe old order is not coming back,\u201d Carney warned. \u201cNostalgia is not a strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that we are no longer in a slow shift, but a total break from the past.<\/sup> For decades, middle powers like Canada played along with the “pleasant fiction” of a rules-based order, even as it began to fail.<\/sup> Carney called for an end to this performance, famously stating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He hit back at the “gangster” logic of great power intimidation, warning that staying quiet to avoid trouble – what he called the “Greengrocer\u2019s Dilemma” – is a dead end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFaced with this logic, there is a strong tendency for countries to go along to get along<\/strong> – to accommodate, to avoid trouble, to hope that compliance will buy safety. Well, it won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The Menu vs. The Table<\/strong> Carney\u2019s solution? Don’t stand alone. He urged middle powers to build a “dense web of connections” that creates a third path between competing hegemons.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cMiddle powers must act together, because if we\u2019re not at the table, we\u2019re on the menu.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He called out the “weaponization” of the global economy – using tariffs as leverage and supply chains as vulnerabilities – concluding that real sovereignty isn’t found in accommodating a bully, but in the ability to withstand pressure alongside friends who have your back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mark<\/a>
Mark Carney and Emmanuel Macron shaking hands at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
Me We Too<\/em> post: Somehow the aviator glasses have a way to make you look cool.<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walking it back<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even bullies know when they\u2019ve overplayed their hand. In Davos, Trump later walked that back, saying he wouldn\u2019t use military force and adding that European allies could \u201csay yes and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.\u201d It\u2019s also worth noting that decisions of this scale aren\u2019t unilateral – under U.S. law, they require congressional approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Me We Too<\/em> post: Trump thinks he is ruler of the world<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concepts of a Greenland Deal<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

History is repeating itself at Davos. Just like his healthcare “framework” from last week, Trump is now claiming he has a \u201cframework of a future deal\u201d for Greenland to avoid the very tariffs he threatened.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the President walked back his threat to use military force, calling it “a piece of ice” he doesn’t want to fight over – yet he still insisted on “right, title, and ownership.” In a moment that felt more like a confused classroom presentation than a world stage address, he even appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland<\/strong> multiple times, blaming “Iceland” for the stock market drop he caused himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a classic move: manufacture the chaos, then sell the “concept” of a solution to calm the markets he just rattled. He even told CNBC today, \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit complex, but we\u2019ll explain it down the line.\u201d Where have we heard that before? Whether it\u2019s healthcare or the Arctic, we are being asked to trade our stability for a “concept” that never quite arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Market Whiplash<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t just a political game; the \u201cbully tactic\u201d has real-world consequences for our savings, besides eroding trust. Yesterday, Wall Street suffered its worst day since October, with the S&P 500 plunging 2.1%<\/strong> as investors panicked over the Greenland tariff threats. Gold and silver hit record highs as people literally ran for cover from the drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, predictably, the market is bouncing back as the “concepts of a deal” are announced. It\u2019s a cycle of manufactured chaos: create a crisis, watch the market dip, announce a \u201cconcept,\u201d and claim victory as it recovers. Analysts are already calling it the “TACO” cycle – Trump Always Chickens Out<\/strong> – suggesting the threats were never about policy, but about leverage and the headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t Call it “Chickening Out”<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But it should be noted that actual chickens don\u2019t \u201cchicken out.\u201d<\/strong> In the real world, chickens are legendary for their courage. A mother hen will fearlessly fight off a hawk twice her size to protect her chicks, and roosters have been symbols of military valor for centuries for a reason: they don’t back down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good rooster is the ultimate guardian – he doesn’t just alert the flock; he will put himself between a predator and his family, fighting off hawks or anything else that dares to interfere with those under his care. It\u2019s ironic that we use their name for a tactic that is all about making big threats and then running away the moment the “rules” (or the markets) push back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a reason the Gallic Rooster remains the symbol of France to this day.<\/strong> While Napoleon once tried to replace it with an imperial eagle because he thought the rooster lacked “strength,” the French people eventually brought the rooster back. They knew that true power isn’t about being the biggest predator in the sky; it\u2019s about the vigilance to see a threat and the bravery to protect your own, even when you’re standing knee-deep in the mud. By choosing the rooster, they chose a symbol of the people – courageous, proud, and refuse to be silenced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Masterclass in Distraction?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the world watches the “Greenland Drama” in Davos, some are asking if the whole spectacle is just a smoke screen. As MS Now’s<\/em> Lawrence O\u2019Donnell<\/strong> has been shouting from the rooftops on The Last Word<\/em>, this isn’t just about territory – it\u2019s about changing the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The louder the talk about Greenland, the less we talk about the crises happening right now:<\/p>\n\n\n\n