The annual World Economic Forum in Davos opened this week against a backdrop of war, trade threats, and a rapidly fraying global order. The gathering, once a symbol of a stable, rules-based trading system, now reflects a world struggling to adapt to shifting power dynamics and the erosion of old certainties.
Above all, one figure has dominated the week: Donald Trump. The US president used the Alpine summit as a stage for his own vision, unveiling a new 'board of peace' in an unscheduled event that featured allies but no G7 nations. His rhetoric on Greenland and other issues overshadowed panel discussions on cooperation.
Heather Stewart, the Guardian's economics editor, noted that Davos feels busier and more crowded than in previous years. 'That order, the trading system as it was, with rich and powerful countries controlling the rules, that’s kind of gone,' she said. 'It’s been swept away.'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised European leaders for being in 'Greenland mode,' waiting for US leadership rather than acting on Ukraine and other crises. Trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine are set to begin in Abu Dhabi.
Trump's speech included what some described as racist diatribes against Somalia, portraying himself as 'the great white hope.' Despite scepticism, many attendees flocked to hear him, describing it as a 'compelling spectacle.'
