Albert Otti -
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab is not in a joyous mood, even though he has secured the attendance of US President Donald Trump for next week’s meeting of global leaders in Davos.
“There is today a real danger of a collapse of our global systems,” he said as he presented the programme for the gathering of more than 3,000 top politicians, business executives and academics, which runs January 23-26 in the secluded Swiss mountain resort.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Schwab was careful not to criticise Trump directly, but the things that the World Economic Forum (WEF) stands for — shared responsibilities among nations, a globalist worldview — are things that Trump opposes.
In a keynote speech on January 26, Trump will present his America First strategy to the more than 100 attending country leaders and heads of international organisations, according to the White House.
The president will be accompanied by eight cabinet members, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The visit to Switzerland comes in the wake of his alleged offensive comments about migrants from certain developing countries, which have caused international outrage.
The president allegedly told senators in a private meeting that the United States should accept more people from Norway instead of ‘‘***** countries” in Latin America and Africa.
Trump would have ample opportunities to explain himself to numerous top politicians from African countries who will attend the Davos meeting, such as the premiers of Ivory Coast and Somalia, Amadou Gon Coulibaly and Hassan Ali Kheyre. In fact, more than a third of the attendees in Davos come from developing or emerging economies. However, other leaders might be more concerned about policies that have placed Trump at odds with the global consensus about honouring treaties and dealing with crises.
These policies include placing US interests above global free trade, renouncing the Paris climate agreement, taunting North Korea, questioning the nuclear deal with Iran and recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Schwab warned, “Nobody today, no country alone, no stakeholder group alone, no individual alone can solve the issues on the global agenda.”
Pointing to issues such as trade, the environment, tax systems and economic competitiveness, Schwab said: “It is absolutely essential to have President Trump with us.”
Although all eyes will be on the US president in Davos, other leaders are also worth watching.
Next Monday, ahead of the official start of the meeting, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde will set the tone with an annual outlook on the global economy.
The official opening address on Tuesday will be delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.
Other keynote speakers include British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is expected to talk about the difficult Brexit process, and her Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, whose country presides over the G7 group of major economies this year.
“We are possibly at the end of an economic upswing cycle,” Schwab said, adding that the social fallout of the financial and economic crisis ten years ago can still be felt.
The future of economic development as well as upcoming central bank policies will therefore be high on the agenda in Davos, according to the 79-year-old German economist, who serves as executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.
While the White House has sent a large advance team to Davos to make sure that the forum is safe for President Trump, leftist groups are preparing for demonstrations.
Oliver Classen, spokesman for the Swiss anti-globalisation group Public Eye, says Trump’s presence will actually make it harder to mobilise protesters. “Trump does not go there as an agent of the 1,000 global corporations that gather there. On the contrary: He appears as one of their fiercest critics — at least superficially.”
He bemoaned that instead of railing against the way the global economy operates, protesters will focus on Trump. It is nearly impossible to stage demonstrations in Davos, as Swiss security forces cordon off the valley that hosts the world’s movers and shakers.
Instead, leftists plan a protest in Zurich on January 23, titled: “Trump: Welcome to Hell.”
— dpa
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