European leaders will be out in force at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week to defend multilateralism before US President Donald Trump arrives to deliver his “America First” message.
Politicians, business chiefs, bankers will meet in the Swiss Alps under the banner “Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World” for the four-day gathering against an unsettling global backdrop.
Trump, the first sitting US president to attend the forum since Bill Clinton in 2000, is a source of much of this anxiety after a volatile first year in office in which he has turned American foreign policy on its head.
The Global Risks Report published by the WEF last week showed that many see a heightened risk of political and economic confrontations between major powers this year.
Yet there is a nagging fear among many in Davos that the brighter economic outlook could turn out to be little more than a mirage if the daunting array of geopolitical threats—from protectionism and climate change to cyber attacks and outright war—gather pace in 2018.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, back in Davos after a 20-year absence, is also due to speak.
Last year, the sole envoy from the Trump camp in the week leading up to his inauguration was Anthony Scaramucci, the New York financier who was sacked after just 10 days as White House communications director.
Criticised in past years for not representing women, the WEF appointed seven female co-chairs this year, including Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Ginni Rometty, the CEO of IBM.
“I don’t think Macron will be able to resist being the counter-Trump,” said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London.
This year, Trump will be joined by a large U.S. delegation including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
An audacious move, has invited many of the business leaders who will be in Davos to the Palace of Versailles on Monday to press them to invest in France.Among the other leaders attending are British Prime Minister Theresa May, This year’s conference will include several sessions on sexual harassment, a nod to the.
Criticised in past years for not representing women,
WEF officials could not say whether the late cancellation by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif had anything to do with Trump’s decision to speak.
Macron will be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The forum will open on Tuesday with a speech by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and end on Friday, when Trump is due to address the massive auditorium where Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke last year.In the days between Modi and Trump, the leaders of Europe’s biggest countries, absent from Davos last year and emboldened by their own economic recovery.
The charge will be led by French President Emmanuel Macron, the new star of European politics, has invited many of the business leaders who will be in Davos to the Palace of Versailles on Monday to press them to invest in France.
“I don’t think Macron will be able to resist being the counter-Trump,” said Robin Niblett, director of the Chatham House think tank in London. for the first time in years, Iran will not be represented.
This year, Trump will be joined by a large U.S. delegation including Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
