The World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland from the 28th January until Sunday 1st February saw a lot of talking the talk.
Although there is a general consensus that: “leaders must continue to develop a swift and coordinated policy response to the most serious global recession since the 1930s”, there has not been any precise action or at least an action plan. The five day meeting held in the gorgeous alpine town of Davos in Switzerland hasn’t concluded in any realization as to the source of the crisis, let alone a solution that will get the world out of it.
As well as the usual talks, conferences, interviews and debates, the World Economic Forum saw its share of protestors. The protestors warning that “the elite gathered [at Davos] are not qualified to fix the world’s problems” and protesting that “You [the world leaders and elite] are the crisis”. Protester Alex Heideger, a member of the Davos Green Party, said these were the people to blame for the economic mess.
“It’s the same people who came last year and said the world economic situation is fine, and now we’re in a financial crisis. Now it’s the taxpayer who has to solve the whole problem.”
“It’s people like you and me who have to pay for it with their tax money,” he said.
While the protestors were trying to gain attention and puruse their altruistic goals, the leaders were talking the talk: Japanese PM announces $17bn in development aid… UK’s Brown warns of financial protectionism… The list goes on… But what exactly have these “world leaders” come up with? One thing is for sure, government will be the next big thing:
The AFP states: “The world is entering an era of big government with only state muscle powerful enough to fight the economic crisis, top leaders signalled at the Davos summit.”
And on the WashingtonPost, the headline reads: “No answer at Davos forum to global meltdown”
Another interesting element brought up by SwissInfo.ch reporter, Matthew Allen is the fear of protectionism:
The organisation also claims to have helped in the process of German reunification, staving off tensions in the Middle East and Korea, and facilitating meetings between opposing sides in apartheid era South Africa.
The very act of getting so many stakeholders from diverse fields together in one place was a good thing in itself, one member of the public in Davos told swissinfo.
“The biggest danger facing the world is that countries will try to solve problems on their own by introducing protectionist measures,” he said.
But another member of the audience, a retired Swiss banker, believes the very people being assembled to solve the global problem are out of touch.
“They all need re-educating,” he said. “They may have been excellently trained in the means of making money, but they know nothing of the real world.”
If this year’s World Economic Forum resulted in something, it is the increasing power of government. The past 10-20 years have been dominated by mega corporations, billionaire CEOs, and global multinationals, the future is destined to be dominated by government.
Images by scobleizer under Creative Commons.
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