Alexander Stubb > Quotes

“have always admired the United States. But as agile as the system might be, I worried about its distributive power—or more precisely, the lack thereof. A firm believer in Nordic welfare capitalism, I have seen up close that the American system is good at creating wealth but poor at distributing it fairly. Social security networks are practically nonexistent, as is public health care. Visiting the US in the 2020s feels like going back to the 1990s. The US is not a modern society by European or Asian standards. The infrastructure is antiquated. Cars are absurdly big. Homelessness and poverty are widespread. Without radical change toward a basic welfare state, the political polarization will continue.”
― Alexander Stubb, The Triangle of Power

“the “Thucydides’s Trap.” As Thucydides himself wrote: “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
― Alexander Stubb, The Triangle of Power

“We should learn from history, but always look to the future, bearing in mind that our decisions will shape it.”
― Alexander Stubb

“Three underlying trends in US foreign policy predate him: first, a shift in focus from Europe to the Indo-Pacific; second, a strong belief in “great power competition,” in which a small handful of great powers constantly compete for hegemony; and third, a foreign policy agenda that is increasingly a function of domestic politics (with Biden’s “foreign policy for the middle class” and Trump’s “America first” approaches standing as different examples).”
― Alexander Stubb, The Triangle of Power

“The United States has been able to project soft, hard, and smart power for over a century. UN data show it was historically the most attractive immigration destination in the world. Every sixth person in the US was born in another country. The US imprint on global culture and consumption remains unparalleled. Seven of the ten most valuable global brands are American. The US is also the undisputed military superpower. It holds around 750 military bases in 80 countries and accounts for 38 percent of global military spending—more than the next nine countries, including Russia and China, combined.”
― Alexander Stubb, The Triangle of Power

“War is always a failure of humanity. It is a collective failure of our fundamental values.”
― Alexander Stubb

“Western firms have nonetheless recognized the South’s potential. According to DataReportal, nine of Facebook’s ten biggest audiences are Global South countries. Netflix has started buying African and Middle Eastern content to maintain its market position. Plenty of innovation and growth is also homegrown. Southeast Asia has become a hub for mobile technology and ecommerce. Brazil and Chile are investing in wind and solar power. Gulf countries are pushing AI and blockchain. Africa has advanced in mobile communication and fintech. Kenya’s mobile payment system M-Pesa shows how entrepreneurs in developing countries create tech solutions to everyday challenges. Writing in the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, Professor Timothy Waema noted that M-Pesa once channeled more transactions in Kenya in a day than Western Union did in the entire world. Beyond digital, Saudi Arabia’s smart city project “Neom” points to the level of ambition, creativity, and resources that some countries—at least in the upper income bracket—can mobilize. Its car-free city would run entirely on clean energy and be optimized by artificial intelligence. India has made strides in its space program. Its advances in biotechnology were apparent when it became one of the world’s largest COVID vaccine suppliers.”
― Alexander Stubb, The Triangle of Power

“For the Global South to sustain development, it will need both the public and private sectors to engage. Big multinationals from both East and West, however, prioritize their own interests. They seek to profit from fewer data regulations and push weaker domestic competitors aside.”
― Alexander Stubb, The Triangle of Power