Gordon Brown at the World Economic Forum.
"Either we cooperate to deal with the economic problems that arise this year, or we will face a disorderly retreat into a new kind of protectionism that will damage our ability to build on the successes of globalization over recent years." (link)
Mr Brown noted that while the majority of production has shifted from Europe and America to the rest of the world, the majority of consumption still takes place in the west, and there is a precarious balance between those who consume but don't produce and those who produce but don't consume. He then promoted the idea of a global growth pact between the different nations to coordinate production and consumption without regressing towards the protectionism that brought the world economy to its knees in the 1930s.
At the end of his speech, Mr Brown summarized up elements of speeches by the late US president John F Kennedy: Change is an inevitable feature of life. Never fear to negotiate, never negotiate from fear. We have to be strong but strategic in trying to cooperate around the world.
"Divided we shall surely fail, but united there is little that we cannot do together." We have reached an era of inter-dependence with global problems that need global solutions.
KnowledgeWorkx News Briefs summarize world events and speeches that touch on the multi-cultural, global workspace that we live in.
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