The Brandt Report contains three levels of argument of increasing generality: the programme of recommendations (not further discussed); the framework for action; and the vision. The vision is a serious, even absurd, misconception of international events and relationships. It is mistaken in respect of the alleged sources of danger to the human race, the poor diagnosis of the current state of the world economy and the pessimistic analysis of the performance and prospects of developing countries within the world economy in its present form: The pursuit of mutual interest, in the Keynesian sense of matching Southern needs and Northern excess capacity, is not tenable and the suggestion that Northern problems can best be handled in the context of international relations is misleading. The framework for action is based on four faulty premises: faith in regulation; mistrust in markets, together with failure to recognise their potential scope and uses; neglect of uncertainty; and belief in the existence of known solutions.