Davos
2019 is now underway.
Davos
is the annual high mass on globalization and power. This year’s headline is
about the absence of key political leaders. The big names – Trump, Xi, Putin,
Modi, Merkel, Macron, May – are not attending. They have more pressing matters
to address at their respective home fronts. Even second line political leaders
are not many this time. Bad omen for the organisers: Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil
is the star at the opening.
Almost
50 years down the line, since the first meeting, the World Economic Forum is at
risk of becoming no more than a networking venue for major corporate leaders,
friendly NGOs heads, and plenty of star media people. Also, one high-visibility
opportunity for the elites that love to be seen attending seminars and participating
in panel discussions on global themes. Boring as such talks can be, and
abstract, so many times, they pretend to identify the key challenges of the day
and come up with new solutions. That sounds great and visionary.
But
it is not just the question of the elitist image, of powerful people deeply
disconnected from the realities of the ordinary citizen meeting on the rocks of
Davos. It’s also that nowadays there are many competing initiatives, dozens of
conferences in many places that debate the same issues and come to similar
conclusions.
Maybe
the only true difference is related to private planes. In Davos this year, they
expect around 1,500 of them. That’s the ultimate symbol of power. The private
plane.
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