Why ancient lessons cited by Carney remain relevant to today’s shifting world order

The Brock News covered Michael J. Carter’s thoughts on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s use of ancient parallels in his recent speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.  “The Brock University Professor of Classics and Archaeology immediately clocked the nod to ancient historian Thucydides’ work — and its relevancy to today. Thucydides wrote an account of the Peloponnesian War fought between Athens and Sparta — the two hegemons, or leading powers, of the ancient Greek world — from 431 to 404 BCE. There was a strong contrast between the two cities, with Athens viewed as open, tolerant, wealthy and democratic, and Sparta considered closed and intolerant.”

Carter concludes, ““They had abandoned all the values — justice, morality, a sense of right and wrong, even hope — that once made Athens worth celebrating. It is the tragedy of Athens,” Carter says. “That’s why it was so heartening to hear the Prime Minister speak of the need for ‘values-based realism,’ in place of the old ‘might is right’ aphorism.”