Moisés Naím: “It’s frustrating for many citizens living in democracies.”

GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute

Moisés Naím knows what it means to command power. He is the former Minister of Trade and Industry for Venezuela and Executive Director of the World Bank. In an interview with "Tagesanzeiger", Naím explains why today's leaders are struggling to maintain influence and power.

“Political energy on the streets rarely translates into real political power,” explains Moisés Naím, author of the bestseller "The End of Power". “We live in a world where power is easier to get, harder to use and far easier to lose again,” Naím said in an interview with "Tagesanzeiger" on 22 October 2016.

Strong leaders are becoming increasingly rare, yet strong states are needed more than ever before: “Many of our most significant problems are a result of excessively weak states.” The cause of this weakness lies in the strong veto power available in democracies: “Democracies are full of organisations, associations and even individuals who have just enough power to block the whole process – but not enough power to actually follow through on a project. It’s frustrating for many citizens living in democracies.”

Naím attributes the current rise of populists, such as the American presidential candidate Donald Trump, to a disappointed electorate: “Those in positions of authority struggle to use their considerable power to get things done. Populists like Donald Trump thrive on this – the great expectations placed on the powerful, who are inevitably bound to disappoint.”

In this video interview, Naím lays out three revolutions that he sees as driving the change in the nature of power: more, mobility and mentality.

Moisés Naím presents further insights into power relations in the 21st century at the GDI Future of Power conference on 16 January 2017.