This is a collection of the most influential speeches given since entering the new millennium. It is a timely book, capturing contemporary and powerful expressions of ideas and reasoning. Global in perspective, these speeches stand as unmediated and authentic testaments to the profound impact of great words and persuasive vision. During this period our mindset and culture have changed, reflecting the immense national and international changes the age has witnessed: the global financial crisis, the outbreak of international terrorism, the rise of new wealth in the developing world, austerity in Europe and the United States, and new opportunities for investment and influence. These speeches define our recent history and will be used by historians to understand us in the years and centuries to come.
