The world’s political and business elite will convene in Davos next week, with the wars in Gaza and Ukraine dominating the annual Swiss Alps celebration.
Russia’s nearly two-year offensive in Ukraine has taken center stage at previous editions of the World Economic Forum (WEF), with Kiev sending officials and lawmakers to press allies for more weapons and funding.
A meeting of national security advisers on the “Ukraine peace formula” will take place on Sunday in Davos, on the eve of the opening of the forum, which will be attended in person for the first time by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
But the WEF will now also grapple with concerns that Israel’s war with Hamas could escalate into a wider conflict in the Middle East, with global trade already disrupted by attacks by Yemeni rebels on merchant ships in Eritrea Sea, triggering US and British airstrikes in early response. Friday.
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A cascade of other global threats, ranging from climate change to a cost-of-living crisis and a precarious economy will share the agenda at meetings starting on Monday under the theme “Rebuilding Trust”.
The gathering “takes place against the most complex geopolitical and geoeconomic backdrop of recent decades,” said WEF President Borge Brende.
“Spinning Plates”
A wide range of political heavyweights will descend on Davos, from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to French President Emmanuel Macron and a group of Middle East leaders, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and leaders from Qatar, Jordan and Lebanon .
“We know that the war in Gaza is ongoing and there are concerns about further escalation,” Brende said, adding that the WEF meeting “will look at how to avoid further escalation.”
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Ukraine will continue to support continued Western aid, with Zelensky, who previously appeared via video link, preparing to meet CEOs.
Trade and diplomatic tensions between the United States and China add to the complicated geopolitical picture in Davos.
In addition, major elections are coming up in several countries this year, including Britain, India and the United States, where Donald Trump is widely favored to secure a rematch against President Joe Biden.
A WEF survey released on Wednesday found that disinformation and artificial intelligence-driven disinformation in the run-up to elections are the biggest global risks this year and next.
“Geopolitics these days is like watching a circus performer spin plates over sticks,” Karen Harris, an economist at consultancy Bain & Co, told AFP.
He noted that the Davos forum will be held immediately after elections on Saturday in Taiwan, the democratic island that China considers a renegade province — a major source of tension between Beijing and Washington.
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Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who will deliver a special speech on Tuesday, will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to attend Davos since President Xi Jinping in 2017.
Business as usual
More than 60 heads of state and government are expected at the five-day forum, which will also welcome some 800 CEOs among the 2,800 participants.
The WEF will introduce a newcomer, Argentina’s eccentric and libertarian new president, Javier Millay, a self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist” whose anti-establishment views have drawn comparisons to Trump’s.
Around 5,000 Swiss troops will provide security for the event, with fighter jets patrolling the Alpine nation’s skies.
Of course, businesses will also have a high position in the talks.
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence will be among the hot topics of the discussion, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Sam Altman, lead developer of ChatGPT OpenAI, in attendance.
While politicians and executives will be publicly debating how to fix the world, Davos remains a behind-the-scenes hotspot, with the usual exclusive cocktail parties taking place along the ski resort’s boardwalk.
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There have been protests against the gathering every year, with Swiss Socialist Youth calling for a demonstration on Sunday to denounce “a closed meeting between the rich and powerful”.
Source: AFP