What I Saw At Davos

For many years I had heard about Davos, but never expected that I would ever be a participant. Last fall, however, I received an invitation to attend the World Economic Forum at Davos. What I discovered, when I arrived at the beautiful ski resort in Switzerland, was the world’s greatest display of economic, political, and intellectual fireworks in one place at one time.The forum began on a Tuesday evening and ended the following Sunday. For four consecutive days, there were dozens of presentations – panels, discussion groups, speeches by eminent individuals, and a variety of other formats that connect speakers to audiences. The discussions were held at a large hall called the Congress Centre and in hotel meeting rooms across the town of Davos. Security was iron-clad. Every participant was issued an electronic badge with his or her photograph, and admission to every building and every session was carefully and strictly limited to badge-holders.My job was to lead the discussion at three sessions – one on parenting, another on science and religion, and a third on education issues of the future. These sessions were a wonderful opportunity to meet such people as Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco; Bertrand Piccard, the first person to circle the world nonstop in a hot-air balloon; economist Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University, and Francis Collins, the director of the Human Genome Project at the National Institutes of Health.The greatest challenge for me, however, was to select among the dozens of discussions that were available to participants each day. In one session, I heard security experts – including Robert Mueller, the director of the FBI, and Christopher Rodrigues, the chief executive officer of Visa International – discuss the steps being taken to combat identity theft. Another session, led by Constance Ford, the economics editor of the Wall Street Journal, and prominent economists and chief executive officers, asked whether aging economies could grow (they can). A luncheon session brought together half a dozen innovative scientists who practice “science in the wild,” that is, breakthroughs that are created or found outside the controlled environment of the laboratory. At my table was Dr. Richard Horton, editor of the British medical journal “The Lancet,” who regretted the removal of Vioxx from the market, which he said was one of the most promising drugs for colon cancer.At a session on Islamic terrorism and the efforts by Islamic societies to “eradicate extremism,” half a dozen Islamic leaders expressed repeated denials, equivocations, and rationalizations. There was no such thing as “Islamic terrorism,” they insisted, and to the extent that people perceived such a thing, it was the fault of the Western media, which continually stereotypes and demeans those who identify themselves as Muslims, while ignoring the extremists and terrorists who are Christian or Jewish. When asked about the election of Hamas to lead the Palestinians, the president of the Iraq National Assembly predicted that the followers of Hamas would become moderate and responsible once they assumed power. This turned out to be a common theme, echoed by other speakers in other meetings about the Middle East; no one knew or recalled that German industrialists in the 1930s had made the same prediction when Adolf Hitler came to power.The next day I rose early to hear a session on the “peace process” in the Middle East that included the finance ministers of both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well such dignitaries as the head of the Arab League, Robert Zoellick of the U.S. State Department, and James Wolfensohn, a former head of the World Bank. As in the previous day’s discussion, the Arab leaders were not unhappy with the victory of Hamas, but the Israelis made it clear that negotiations were off the table until Hamas renounced violence. Mr. Wolfensohn, who seemed to have the trust of both sides, emphasized that the Palestinian Authority was bankrupt and that chaos would ensue if some 140,000 civil servants were not paid.In a session about alternative energy sources, we learned from Brazilian officials that their country led the world in processing fuel from sugar cane. Senator Saxby Chambliss assured everyone that America is making rapid strides in producing ethanol from corn, a crop that is plentiful in this country. Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, a sensible environmentalist, explained that we could get up to 100-miles-a-gallon if we took feasible steps like reducing the weight of automobiles.Surprisingly, the most hopeful discussion that I heard concerned the future of Iraq. There, three Iraqi leaders – a Sunni, a Shiite, and a Kurd – talked hopefully about the prospects and called on the international community to support the new Iraq. They projected a sense of optimism about an Iraq that was united in common citizenship without regard to sect or region. Senator John McCain reiterated that America would stand with them as they built a better life for Iraqis.If there was an international rock star who captivated the gathering, it was unquestionably America’s former president, Bill Clinton. Speaking to a packed house of more than 1,000 people, he conversed easily with Klaus Schwab, the Swiss economics professor who created the World Economic Forum, about the state of the world and the importance of talking, listening, and engaging with other people, which reflect the ethos of Davos. Judging by his warm welcome at Davos, if there were a world election, Mr. Clinton would win in a walk.Davos represents the movers and shakers of the world. In addition to elected officials, there were hundreds of CEOs, especially from America and Europe. The high-technology industry had numerous representatives, including Bill Gates of Microsoft and Eric Schmidt of Google. This meeting was interested above all in maintaining the free flow of commerce across borders on the assumption that free trade would promote better lives in all continents. Development was on the agenda, but human rights issues were not.As an American, I was struck by a curious contrast. On one hand, any reference to President Bush produced a murmur of supercilious chuckles. On the other, it was obvious that the leaders at Davos were in awe of the American economy, of American technological and scientific innovation, and of American might. In every discussion there was an unspoken admiration and envy of the American colossus.As I returned each evening to my hotel, exhausted and exhilarated by the intellectual stimulation of the day, I sat in the lounge to collect my thoughts. And each evening, the piano player would sing a medley of standard American songs (Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael), yet another reminder that American popular culture, American ideas, and American values reach across the borders – as surely as technology – and belong to the world.Ms. Ravitch is research professor of education at New York University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Brookings Institution.

What I Saw At Davos

What I Saw At Davos

More from the New York Sun

Wynton Marsalis’s Homecoming Farewell

Trump, at Joint Press Conference with Mamdani, Expresses Optimism That Mayor Will Be a ‘Great One’

A Raid on the Presidency

In the Next 43 Days, Nobody Should Underestimate Trump and the GOP

Lula Touts Leftist Record With Mamdani as Polls Show Presidential Election a Toss-Up in Brazil

DOJ, USDA Join Forces at Animal Cruelty Strike Force Roundtable to Boost Federal Prosecutions

Leader of The Second Intifada or Hamas Could Win if Palestinian Elections Go Ahead

Iowa Republicans Begin Sounding Alarm on Iran War as a Senate Race and Two House Seats Fall Into Toss-Up Territory

More from the New York Sun

Wynton Marsalis’s Homecoming Farewell

Trump, at Joint Press Conference with Mamdani, Expresses Optimism That Mayor Will Be a ‘Great One’

A Raid on the Presidency

In the Next 43 Days, Nobody Should Underestimate Trump and the GOP

Lula Touts Leftist Record With Mamdani as Polls Show Presidential Election a Toss-Up in Brazil

DOJ, USDA Join Forces at Animal Cruelty Strike Force Roundtable to Boost Federal Prosecutions

Leader of The Second Intifada or Hamas Could Win if Palestinian Elections Go Ahead

Iowa Republicans Begin Sounding Alarm on Iran War as a Senate Race and Two House Seats Fall Into Toss-Up Territory