I: Geopolitical risks and supply chain resilience top of mind at Davos 2023

 Interos Resilience Lab‘s Geraint John writes:

These are uncomfortable times for the global elite – which include the politicians, multinational company bosses, and policy wonks who rubbed shoulders at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos two weeks ago. A decades-long era of unbridled free trade and globalization – not just core WEF principles, but assumptions on the nature of global economics – has gone into reverse and nations are grappling with rampant inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, and the imminent threat of recession.

No wonder G7 country leaders who would normally have been happy to swap their domestic travails for the fresh air of the Swiss Alps for a few days (Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak…) opted to stay away this year. As one newspaper commentator put it: “The idea that Davos is faintly toxic has gained ground.”

Nevertheless, plenty of power brokers did attend this first event back in familiar ski-resort surroundings since the pandemic. And in line with the theme of “Cooperation in a Fragmented World”, geopolitical considerations were uppermost in many minds.

“The number one topic here is geopolitics – it’s not the economy,” noted Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture…

The full post can be read here.