Weekend Quotables
With Israel being charged with genocide in world courts and the growing threat of all-out war in Europe and the Middle East, billionaires gather again in Davos sporting new winter fashions.
Davos Switzerland — Where the global billionaires and political elite meet at the World Economic Forum, to decide how to keep the world from spinning out of their control long enough so they can spend their money. Once again, in what’s become a long-standing tradition at Davos, I wasn’t invited to speak.
If, on the other hand, my invite arrives late in the mail, I’m packed and ready to go, thanks to Business Insider’s guide to proper attire at Davos.
Davos news
GENEVA (Reuters) — Gaza dominated the agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF), but leaders failed to produce clear details on any practical pathway to Palestinian statehood, or a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza's Palestinian militant group Hamas.
(Politico) — The amped up Chinese presence at Davos has reportedly ruffled feathers in Washington amid U.S. concerns about Beijing's growing global influence. A U.S. State Department document dated Jan. 12 said that "10 state ministers" would be included in Beijing's Davos delegation, prompting the White House to step up its charm offensive, according to Politico.
(New Indian Express) — Large parts of the populations in wealthy countries, feeling left behind, have been lured by the appeal of rightwing populism – ironically, largely promoted by billionaires and their advocates.
(Al Jazeera) — Swiss prosecutors on Friday confirmed that Israeli President Isaac Herzog could face criminal charges during his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, as Israel finds itself accused of committing war crimes in Gaza. Herzog is also named in the genocide case currently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
(Washington Post) — ChatGPT was the breakout star of last year’s World Economic Forum, as the nascent chatbot’s ability to code, draft emails and write speeches captured the imaginations of the leaders gathered in this posh ski town. But this year, heads of state, billionaires and CEOs appear aligned in their anxieties, as they warn that the burgeoning technology might supercharge misinformation, displace jobs and deepen the economic gap between wealthy and poor nations.
(Seattle Times) — As world’s richest gather in Davos, anti-poverty activists highlight the 0.0000001%
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, numerous billionaires and multimillionaires penned a letter calling on global leaders to fairly tax the super-rich like themselves. Musk, Arnault, Bezos, Ellison and Buffett were not among the signatories — although Buffett has famously criticized the wealthy’s lower tax rates and previously advocated for policy change in the same vein.
Quotables
U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken reiterated in a talk at Davos that a pathway to statehood for Palestinians could help improve Israel’s security and its relations with other countries in the region. But Netanyahu tells Blinken/Biden, he won’t have any of it.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
…condemned the war in Gaza during a Davos talk Thursday, saying “the international community has failed.” — ABC News
Saisha Srivastava, Curator for WEF’s, youth group, Global Shapers.
One, I expected, given the events of the past 100 days, we would see more humanitarian discussion. Two, that the war in Gaza would be brought up more… And three, I thought that there would be more Palestinian voices to balance out the voices that we’re hearing from Israel. — Al Jazeera
Agnès Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International.
“What is striking, if not shocking, for me at Davos is this weird commitment on the part of the participants to adopt an optimistic mindset. But optimism for the purpose of maintaining the status quo and keeping my privilege. That’s not optimism.” — AP
"We agree that regional peace includes peace for Israel, but that could only happen through peace for the Palestinians through a Palestinian state," Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a WEF panel.
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Dreams of Davos Past
This isn’t how things were supposed to turn out.
In its glory days in the 1990s, the Davos forum was the driving force promoting the idea of stakeholder capitalism in which corporations controlled by shareholders were supposed to advance the interests of everyone who had a stake in their activities: workers, consumers, communities and the environment. Back then, as communism collapsed, everything seemed possible. — New Indian Express
