Populist tide threatens Davos values
The meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week will be closely watched as anxiety about the global economy, politics and society looms large
There are many unanswered questions. A new normal is being unleashed at global, regional and local levels with potentially far-reaching consequences for business and government alike. This is partly a result of the two defining moments of the past year: Britain's decision in June to leave the EU and the election in November of Donald Trump. Trump was the first to congratulate the Brexiters on their victory, and Nigel Farage, the former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party and a long-standing champion of Brexit, was the first British politician to meet and congratulate Trump on his victory. Both events exposed the cracks in the globalisation project. The growing trust deficit that ordinary people across the world have towards the mainstream business and political establishment was also exposed. In the case of Brexit, most business leaders rallied around the "Remain" campaign. They urged their employees to vote "Remain" and made public declarations of support and commitment ...
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