Paddy Ashdown: The global power shift

www.ted.com Paddy Ashdown claims that we are living in a moment in history where power is changing in ways it never has before. In a spellbinding talk at TEDxBrussels he outlines the three major global shifts that he sees coming.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at www.ted.com/tra...

[@goroch_thegreen]

And now, 8 year later, we are analyzing this speech in the university.

[@evmuid7937]

hmm🙃, same here

[@bicyclist2]

That was one of the absolute best TED talks I have ever seen/heard. A lot more people need to see this. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@waynet8953]

He had some insight...this is much more evident in 2019.

[@hkoreja]

Exactly

[@TheKnightsOfCamelot]

Every nation must work to become agriculturally and economically self-sufficient. World trade was supposed to add the spice of life, but not to dominate it. In a one world order the voice of the individual is silenced and we will be forced to live by the philosophies of organized lobbyists, special interests, and secular humanist/ postmodernists values. It is already happening now and we must know that a man's philosophy can rule the world and we must be carefull to which philosophy rules us.

[@DaggieBlanqx]

When Russian troops invaded Ukraine a few days ago, something emerged. Some Russian troops were hesitant to attack Ukrainian civilians, because of this sense of shared destiny. True war has no rules - the goal is to annihilate and occupy territory, yet some Russian troops showed restraint. The bonds that tie Russian and Ukrainian families are stronger than their leaders' ambitions.

[@TheNewAtlas]

@Finiras How about power to the people? The problem is we are too dependent on corporations, banks, and big government. We have the technology to do EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING on a local, county and provincial level. There is no reason to give up our national and personal sovereignty to a global government.

[@lucylocket4740]

R.I.P. Paddy Ashdown.

[@watchthe1369]

look at the date, he predicted the arab spring? What is the other paradigm shift we are facing in the industrialized world? I do not necessarily agree with his worries, but I understand how he reaches those conclusions. Some of his worries are "bad weather" that you adapt to and keep on moving. If you are talking Treaties as a sort of contract, he may have a concept. Governments are not very good at keeping contracts.....

[@TheNewAtlas]

@Biktuh Hear hear. I actually stopped watching TED for a while because I was almost afraid to see what scam artist or war criminal they would parade on stage next. Al Gore, Thomas Barnett, Gordon Brown!!?? There should be a rule that if you aren't going to talk about pragmatic solutions, don't talk at all. We have enough pundits and politicians - what we need is more talks by innovators like those that TED featured and built its reputation on.

[@klangstrum]

Fantastic speech. This man was a national treasure.

[@TheNewAtlas]

@AlastairCunning I suggest you read the documents calling, almost verbatim for what Ashdown is talking about - Agenda 21, Brookings Institution reports, the Project for a New American Century, etc. Then go watch this talk again - it will be like watching a completely different speech and this time you will actually fully understand what he is saying.

[@LightWthoutTheStatic]

I don't know why there's so much contention on this video. He's making a great point about the WORLD and how it is so interrelated. Stop focusing on blaming and banking and problems, and decide a good course of action for yourself from where you are now into the future. Vote well, participate, do good, work hard, work together, be diligent, expect nothing free, and work for the good of others as well as yourself. That's what I heard out of this.

[@TheNewAtlas]

I'm sorry - did Ashdown just say the bankers/speculators/corpoations are bad and out of control and then turn around & say these "elite" are going to create a sensible system of global governance? I wish TED would ban all politicians from their venue - if you are peddling politics - it means you don't have a pragmatic solution to our problems - and since this guy already has a podium to preach from behind, how about giving his 15 minutes to a REAL innovator?

[@NewAmericaNow]

Government is more effective at the point closest to the people. IMF, WTO, etc have made things worse.

[@sa5er1234]

Amd now we are seeing this infront of our sights.

[@unitruth]

This is why I subscribe to tedtalks

[@skyler114]

@PhonoDuck a senator is on record stating that for every &\$1 the US 'donates' to the UN for 'assisting' developing countries US corporations rake in $1.60. Meanwhile, a boy in Africa cannot store rainwater because a corporation has bought the right to rainwater in his country, and people die in fires because they canot afford the water to put the flames out. If you don't believe search it up: Blue Gold, World Water Wars.

[@jdada6533]

He's talking Mcgraw-Hill history not Howard Zinn history.

[@bicyclist2]

Amen.

[@步之敏]

very true.

[@gulllars]

One of the better TED talks in a while. *like*

[@Trazynn]

This is what you call 'generalism'. It's not a bad thing, he paints the picture in really broad strokes and describes large trends and parallels. It gives you a context to place more specific ideas in.

[@morriswil32]

No surprises here. He was a participant at the 1989 Bilderberg meeting.

[@USERNAMEfieldempty]

This guy is the most experienced military/politician in Europe. He was NATO's man-on-the-ground to clean up the mess in Yugoslavia. He sorted on Northern Ireland behind the scenes, he was in the SAS, etc etc. AND he was the leader of major political UK party as well. He knows his shit. Politically and militarily. If you don't agree with him... fine. But the "New World Order" accusations are from children with no experience. Ashdown is a decent, intelligent man who has seen a lot of blood.

[@morriswil32]

Perhaps the most twisted part about this presentation is that he speaks with such authority and confidence.

[@TheBayzent]

No, and I will shed blood to see it never happening.

[@SuperAtheist]

@1madaboutguitar could you give a few quotes of his "Orwellian double speak"?

[@alauc]

P. Ashdown did not demontrate neither heart nor mind on Bosnia. It was not easy task. But he could explain causes of his failure, because Bosnia is a Living metaphor ..

[@TheNewAtlas]

@AlastairCunning Plenty of people in politics are genuine and would give their life for their cause - as do soldiers. I don't doubt your conviction or your resolve. But did you read the documents I told you to? The elite and those in the upper echelons of government that serve them are not on the same page you are - not even in the same book my friend. Boeing is a war profiteer - they also have some of the best engineers - with the greatest intentions on earth.

[@booch2912]

2023 is just a day away and the shift is more apparent than ever in my 40 years on this earth

[@randomusername6]

@Mapfiable It's not about the length - in the earlier videos the intro was way too loud, that's why people started posted the link to 0:15.

[@pinojow]

"People may act free of restraint". Westerners in their folly often castigate societies where restraint is imposed through cultural norms.

[@tonyotag]

We the people and a fairly elected UN must happen in order for true order to happen; and freedoms we take for granted today are not destroyed via governance by treaties, Why? Due to the profit motive of corporations who wish for just enough pollution, waste, and other unsavory environmental and/or criminal actions (like 9/11 or drug trade) to fund more of the same.

[@mcbrave15]

@PhonoDuck I agre in what you are sayin but I do have a problem when he adresses good and bad within the complete subject. When he says "our enemies", "we" he is talking about a distinction between the ones doing it "right" and the ones who oppose his "we"!!! When those oposing the system (bad people) should be consider as a result of the same system we use. We can not be radical on the idea of good and bad; that is all i'm trying to say. Difficult to express this on few words and english!

[@MrUnkown36]

Wherever you see enemies, you'll create war and conflict. I think we should start seeing nations as peers. We all have our own interests but if we could have a more cooperative and less competitive way of dealing with things we would be all better off. Unfortunately those who are in charge always want to keep their power, because that's the only thing they know and have been trained for. I hope that the Network Shift will redistribute wealth and power more evenly between nations and people.

[@PhonoDuck]

@thedescanteer I'm taking nothing at face value, but I do agree with him. The way things stand now is that if a single nation state imposes tougher sanctions on financial operations - capping bonuses, splitting commercial and retail banking, increasing tax etc. The whole banking sector will simply up sticks and move to another country that provides them with no restrictions. Ppl don't realise that in my country (UK) the whole country is supported by this sector, we can't afford to see them go.

[@NotoriousDeebles]

The effects of this are evident already in our daily lives. Many thanks for this informative talk.

[@AzonariMedia]

The message I hear between the lines in this video is again that government will take care of us, we don't need to do much except support our government's creation of more treaties that will overrule constitutional law and curtail individual freedoms. I strongly disagree and it makes me want to separate myself with mainstream society and politics even more than I already have, and set up my life to maximize my freedom as much as possible.

[@Durchbrechen]

Over here in Europe our global government is going to fail and is breaking apart, so that we will be back to our old countries. If a United Europe risks failure how the heck this guy can think a world government can work ?

[@dookiecheez]

Unfortunately I think some of the depth of the talk was lost on me. I'll have to come back in a few weeks and give it another shot.

[@nicholasdaddetta3093]

i would enjoy this if i didn't have to watch this for a school assigment.

[@GreatG0dOm]

@katakanadian He mentions Kyoto agreement. Think he does mention the environment as a global issue.

[@ShallowBeThyGames]

"Where power goes, governance must follow" - And where is governed, there too goes power.

[@japanisshinto]

@LandDestroyerReport What I heard was something slightly different-- that the bankers/speculators/corporations have enormous power, are interconnected and interdependent, and that to survive the future, they are going to have to be bound to a global governance. Maybe they are the ones to create that governance, maybe not, but it is in their own self interest to do so because if they don't, someone else will, and the result will be less to their liking.

[@tarik6990]

The only High Representative Bosnia & Herzegovina ever had who showed a modicum of appreciation for what was actually needed to take the country towards a democratic, liberal future. That's why he's reviled both by Serb & Croat nationalists and their numerous respective enablers.

[@AlastairCunning]

@LandDestroyerReport He mentioned sensible only in the context that it will be a great challenge to make sure that the coming regulation of the international space IS sensible, not that he expected it to be and that a big problem was that the weak would likely be left out of the decision making process that creates this regulatory framework... His speech wasn't perfect but you should listen properly before you criticise.

[@MrUnkown36]

@Tethloach1 Bailouts and subsidies are a redistribution of wealth in the wrong way. Banks and corporations are so powerful because of all the money they have (we allow them to). Bailouts are just the manifestation of that power. They can take from those who have less with the connivance of governments. Networking allows people to self-organize to better pursue their interests and to get rid of the establishment. Many single choices (people) can phase out these institutions over time.

[@halogen123]

@globalbankfraud What @8legsFreak had to point out shows just how insular American thinking still is - that despite the obvious fact Paddy Ashdown (a well respected politician) is not American, you still have the capacity to somehow think that when someone speaks, they speak for and about America only, and to hell with the rest of the world. The situation is changing, America is no longer the centre of the world and it's about time you and your countrymen realised that.

[@veso5554]

@trapedd Yes, economically speaking, they are not isolationist and are quite adamant on free trade and open borders. That being said, libertarians rely on isolationist tenants as well. They dislike military treaties and alliances and straight up despise stationing troops abroad. It's the way they interpret the Constitution and believe that we must treat all foreign countries the same way. That's what I was referring to.

[@jesusa.5464]

May you Rest In Peace Paddy

[@eliaschevette]

Now we need to understand the whole picture of the planet and be able to explain this to those that don't understand it. Welcome the Enlightenment is going to be a rocky ride.

[@cnmaster01]

@RolandOnTheRoad Do you really think "the most influential intellectual alive" needs TED to get his message heard?

[@etbadaboum]

@hypnozecat A 20 minute speech versus a 300 year-old catch phrase. We are living in a very different world than Franklin knew. Problems go global as systems are intertwined. Liberties come with responsabilities. You surely have a quote from Franklin about that, right?

[@lothalia]

He's a good public speaker.

[@8legsFreak]

@globalbankfraud he is British, so from his perspective, those threats you named are foreign. Besides, they operate from outside the democratic and legal system, thus, they are foreign to the entire human community.

[@luckyzj]

A community with a shared future for mankind.

[@Durchbrechen]

@kadayo My previous comment as well as this one does not contain any derogative term against you. Hence there isn't any intent of fighting anyone. We're exchanging ideas. And my take is that to merge means others' liabilities become YOUR liabilities. As you see English is not my mother tongue and I thought that the old idiom about money and tongue isn't derogative but I did put the smile in the doubt.

[@xpsmango4146]

So true for today's world !

[@MrCattlehunter]

@PeaceRallyOrg All US wars have been illegal, according to its constitution, since Korea.

[@LuckyMarketGameplay]

I started off being on this guys side.. Started rolling my eyes at 9/11, started getting disagreeable with his blind support of World Bank and IMF, and got pretty darn upset when he glorified the G20. And never even came back to explain how the 20 most powerful people in the world making decisions behind closed doors, can and have caused GREAT imbalance in the worlds societal structure. He seems blissfully unaware that they have no allegiance to any flag, only themselves, and their power.

[@veso5554]

@LowEndBCC Yeah, I was just trying to make the point that the traditionally isolationist Libertarians wouldn't like some of the points Ashdown makes in this clip.

[@skyler114]

@PhonoDuck The appointing of Goldman Sac advisers and executives to replace Greece and Italy is a perfect example of this. Donald Rummsfeld's glorious career throughout the government and his institution of countless policies that hae supported big food are just another example. The harmonizing of government and corporation is currently going the other way, with the regulations put in place that exempt these power brokers. Meanwhile we sit and argue the government is helping us when..

[@dangerouslytalented]

@LandDestroyerReport He was NOT SELLING TOP DOWN WORLD GOVERNMENT. Where the fuck does he say that? Did you just listen to the first three minutes or something? No, he was going about networking, cooperation between governments, private industry, other organisations and citizens. You should really watch the whole video before telling everybody what he was saying.

[@theonlyartist1992]

A fantastically interesting discussion

[@GetMeThere1]

The problem with great English speechifiers is that they can sound GREAT even when they don't really have much to say. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't really find much substance in this talk--even though quite a few truths were stated with a riveting tone.

[@kadayo]

@Durchbrechen Ah, I misunderstood. I thought you were trashing the USA - not me. I take back what I said. Even if America chose to, I don't think America paying all the debt off would work, because America is in serious debt itself. All countries are in serious debt, and can't pay it off - to my knowledge. I also don't know if you can blame the economy on countries merging, or if the dip is what all economies eventually do. By the way, I had no idea English was your second language.

[@Piitsi]

@Brust90 I cannot name anyone particularly, but often I have heard comment's that Chinese "communism"/one party system is hurting China's economy in the long run and they need to embrace democracy. I just happened to disagree so I made the comment to state the obvious. Also the gentleman here speaking about the wonders of globalization pointed to China and supposed that it's moving towards democracy.

[@dangerouslytalented]

@RolandOnTheRoad Elite? Not really. They invite people who have insights into what the world would or should be like, mostly about the interconnectedness that is fast developing.

[@Agnotio]

I think you missed the point. Ashdown warns us of the danger of allowing the powerful governments to monopolize treaties. He envisions that everyone, including powerful governments, will have to work together more closely because of globalization. That's good for democracy because it diffuses power and should allow more freedom for individuals, not less.

[@TheNewAtlas]

@sjunzhe Neither. Thanks - I will take self-sufficient nation-states built on technical education, innovation, and production over the institutional corporate-fascist garbage peddled by Ashdown any day of the week. PS. The Arab Spring was premeditated by the very corporate-financier interests Ashdown represents as president of the Chatham House - this was reported even in the New York Times. Peace!

[@Bowman899]

No, not really. If you study the military procurement patterns of every country on earth, deployment patterns, equipment purchase decisions, etc., you can work out what the balance of power is likely to be in twenty years. That's because most weapons systems have gestation cycles - design to operational service of about twenty years. Of course, you have to factor economic/currency stability and political stability - but it is possible to do this.

[@TheJorjj]

great public speaker

[@stephennielsen8722]

It is technology that brought the current paradigm shift. Technology will continue to heavily influence all visions of the future. And since technological advances continue to accelerate exponentially NO ONE can predict the future. But - it is certain that smaller and smaller groups, as well as individuals have been becoming and will continue to become more powerful

[@TheNewAtlas]

@USERNAMEfieldempty More name calling. To the objective, intelligent observer, you have just conceded in this debate. Good day/night to you.

[@Lamvesp]

Interconnected and being dependent on each other means that we are easier to control by one single entity called 'The Global Governance'.

[@thedescanteer]

@PhonoDuck You agree with him because you don't know who he is and who he really works for. Like I said, you ARE taking him at face value. I'll advise you to do some homework on him, that is, if you're a neutral observer. The fact that he's the chair for Chatham House is the biggest giveaway. You're absolutely correct about the financial sector, and its becoming increasingly entrenched on a worldwide scale. There's a modus operandi at play here. It's called entrapment.

[@jim-bob87]

@soulsanctuarymusic1 It's not the best TED i've watched because you are quite right to say that 18 Minutes of content can be boiled down to about two sentences of not new information! But I do agree with it's sentiment.

[@slam1na]

I was interested in his view point until he proposed global governance.. Governance should only include law for corporations and those who are accountable for them and not humans. do it that way and fine. do it against people an NO... GET YOUR COAT AND GET OUT!

[@sketchup73]

@sketchup73 this pov is meant to say ' every hand matters' to support the connectedness of the new world order. so dont hesitate to come forward with ideas. ..... anyway to explain the metaphor ..........the mind gives attention to the discomfort in the shoe while the body is climbing. so the climber is prone to accidents and fatigue due to the grain of sand in the shoe( ie something on your mind not related to climbing the mountain. bye

[@SezSays]

Thinking big in a practical way. Well I guess its easy when you're old and don't have to put the work into the change you envision. Great talk though.

[@dandined]

@doford "Every single progression for human freedom in the entire history of the earth is in complete conflict with what this supposed Liberal is talking about." just wow

[@thedescanteer]

@MrC0MPUT3R Why, does it make you uncomfortable?

[@Greig1424]

well done Paddy Ashdown that was powerful stuff

[@airhealth]

This is really not a TED-caliber talk. The topic itself is fairly conventional. Substance-wise there is nothing new. Any one with a good undergraduate training in international relations should be able to say what he did, and probably with greater precision. Perhaps he actually had better ideas, but he just thought the purpose of TED is not to 'communicate' great ideas but to 'educate' using their dumbed-down & castrated (harmless-looking) version?

[@MrJpow22]

@gamegloss I'm being serious. You are watching the future of TV. This is their TV Channel. Throw a remote, instead of a mouse, in your hand if you want to feel like its TV.

[@EgoKatalepsis]

@ThisIsWillsWorld You mustn't torment yourself with the ideals of others. Any opposition to such wracking paranoia will only sustain their fears.

[@qthegreat3]

@Bowman899 False...military's are reliant on economic power...they are symbiotic. Military innovations, military superiority, and military personnel all take financing.

[@bulbakip6380]

I hope we move toward voluntarism

[@Rollindubaai]

2022 it’s happening

[@Matice21]

I can usually learn extra from the comment sections but, These comments are so superficial...all I see is "Excellent speech" nobody elaborating directly about the content.

[@Bowman899]

@qthegreat3 Obviously, Q. However, if you go and analyze the military capabilities of the US, China, Russia, the European countries, the South American Countries and India, then consider current capabilities with procurement plans and building programs, economics and national policies and plans (as I have), you will come to the inescapable conclusion that the US will certainly be the dominant military power for at least fifty years, regardless of its current economic woes.

[@PhonoDuck]

@mcbrave15 He's talking about terrorists. If someone wants to kill you I would consider them my enemy, I would call them bad.

[@AsifIcarebear3]

@hypnozecat If you want it to be, it can be. There will eventually come a one world government, that's pretty much certain. Different groups of people always band together in bigger groups. It's happened since the very beginning.

[@billyboy8888]

nothing changed over melleniums, it's still jungle justice, that is muscle and claws define the means

[@codyleblanc]

anything you love AND fear is dangerous - Nationalism, Religion, etc

[@Malvuu]

Some very interesting views and information!

[@myjimworld]

@hypnozecat But don't forget that if we don't preserve our security, there will be no freedom, and if we don't work with other countries that share a common interest, we'll be too poor to maintain our values

[@AlastairCunning]

@LandDestroyerReport I think you chronically over simplify modern power structures. Yes money plays a huge role, greater even than democracy in many respects, but to characterise all politicians as crooked and corrupt is an overly pessimistic reading of human nature. I'm in politics and i can tell you that I'm not in it for the money. I've made enough money in my life, now I'm trying to put something back. And I'm not the only one.

[@Ko252]

@soulsanctuarymusic1 thanks for summing up. Now I spared 20 minutes of me life.

[@thinkchip]

@JapanIsShinto I'd prefer organizing societies for what is to the liking and for the benefit of the 99% and this is NOT political government. There's plenty of evidence now that this is the case.

[@yeflynne]

well said!

[@butabenjai]

@Finiras That has no relevance to what I said.