Are we ready for Bretton Woods II?
THE FUTURIAN #2
Imagine what could be, not out of some Pollyanna-esque belief, but out of a fresh perspective. Imagine seeing the possibilities that contemporary trends and realities have opened before us. Imagine what could be if we allow ourselves to move beyond our current “business as usual” thinking.
At least 740 people in the mid-1940s did. They had experienced the ravages of the Great Depression and the tumult of World War 2. They had seen the shortcomings, unintended consequences and results of post-World War 1 treaties and agreements and were determined to learn the lessons and create a new framework for the future. And so, over the course of 2 years their committees met, they produced technical papers, and many spoke about the construction of a better world.
All of this toil paid off. The work that was undertaken and the agreements that were struck came together in a moment of time at Bretton Woods. This effort brought form and substance to a then nascent post-war narrative of what the future could look like.
A narrative that set orderly international trade and economic growth as guidelines. Where this particular story of “how to build better for all” took hold and became the way things were. This narrative became “business as usual”.
