In Davos, in 2024, picking up the pieces of fractured capitalism

SOn the heights of Davos, an affluent village in the canton of Graubünden, in the far east of Switzerland, the resort is dominated by a grand 1900s hotel. It is in these alpine heights that Thomas Mann paints his landscapes Magic mountain. A young engineer from Hamburg discovers the life of the “upstairs”, the great bourgeoisie, secluded in their comfortable world, who constantly swing between the dream of knowledge and the awareness of inevitable collapse, on the eve of the first world. war.

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DeVos has not lost the toxic charm that Thomas Mann described. Every year, people from above return to this place to feel sorry for the world’s suffering … and to do good business. Since its creation by Klaus Schwab in 1971 and its transformation into the World Economic Forum in 1987, it has brought together the elite of business and politics for a week.

Again this year, from Monday 15 January to Friday 19 January, around 2,800 businessmen, intellectuals and politicians will meet to talk about world progress. Since its rise, during the 1990s and 2000s, the forum has symbolized the rise of a world without borders, tempered by fair trade, where politicians and businessmen worked in the same direction.

“Social Divisions”

We believe that the theory of this forum has been overtaken by three events that have shaken global capitalism in five years: the Sino-American confrontation, the health crisis and the war in Ukraine. The fire had been smoldering for a long time, but now its flames are spreading. “We are facing a fragmented world and increasing social divisions, leading to widespread uncertainty and pessimism. We need to rebuild trust.”

, assures Klaus Schwab by way of welcome. DeVos tries to hold together the bonds of a severely frayed fabric. And for those who doubt the interest and success of the demonstration at the end of the race, the 85-year-old professor lists an impressive list of bosses and politicians who have once again taken the route to Grubunden station.

On Wednesday January 17, we will meet the Prime Minister of China, his counterparts from South Korea, Vietnam, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, the American Secretary of State, the President of the European Commission, the newly elected Argentine President, the Loser Pole. , other presidents and emirs of the Gulf, Africa, Israel. A form of “Business United Nations”. with fewer protocols.

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The only notable absentee is Russia, which has been ostracized by Europe and the United States. The Ukrainian enemy will be very present in the person of its president Volodymyr Zelensky. Emmanuel Macron will also make the trip, in the absence of ministers, to greet the presidents of four French regions (including the president of Ile-de-France (Les Républiques) Valéry Pacres) and some twenty start-up bosses. The country’s attraction in this prestigious year is marked by the Paris Olympic Games.

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