As soon as I hit "Publish," I'm getting on a plane for the seven-hour flight to Zurich, followed by a two-hour drive to Davos for the 2011 World Economic Forum.
According to early reports, the mood in Davos this year will be "somber."
"Humanity is at a cross-roads," Klaus Schwab, the Forum's founder, plans to say in his open remarks. "We can either continue to work as lobbyists for our narrowly defined self-interests and keep doing the same old things that got us into the crisis in the first place," or we can "act together as true global leaders, with the long term global public interest in mind and at heart."
It's a sweeping statement, but I don't think Schwab is overstating the case. Nearly 40 years ago, Jonas Salk talked about how the world was moving from Epoch A (based on survival and competition) to Epoch B (based on collaboration and meaning). But a global economy that leaves millions behind and is driven by greed, injustice, and the "narrowly defined self-interests" that Schwab warns of, makes it harder to move to Epoch B any time soon.
It's telling that a survey of Davos participants found that growing economic disparity is seen as one of the two biggest risks facing the world in the coming decade. In a piece previewing Davos, James Ledbetter, the editor of Reuters.com, describes the growing gulf between the world's rich and poor as "not only immoral, but dangerous, as it can lead to open conflict between nations and internal political turmoil."
Indeed, today, a country's internal economic health is as much a national security issue as the size and quality of a country's army was in the 20th century. The solution, according to Schwab, is an embrace of "basic values and shared norms" that can "guide the decision-making of leaders and help ensure inclusive rather than exclusive outcomes."
As part of the push for inclusive outcomes, the forum is once again granting full access to a collection of social entrepreneurs from around the world. This is the 10th year the conference has offered a platform to what it considers "voices from the ground." But there is something different this time around. In the past, social entrepreneurship and efforts at developing civil society were the Davos equivalent of icing on the banker/CEO/head-of-state cake. Now they are an essential ingredient, baked into the cake.
This shift stems from the growing sense, even among the elites, that our current political and economic systems are inadequate to the task of addressing the multiple crises the world is facing. As Schwab puts it, "One thing is certain: we can't keep doing the same old thing in a new era that requires new responses."
So there are panels like the one on "Scaling Up Big Ideas," moderated by James Gregory Dees, a professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke University. According to the Davos schedule, it will look at "models of collaboration," the "nature of social innovation," and the "challenges of scaling," while addressing the question, "How can social innovations be scaled up for wider effect and greater impact?"
There's also an IdeasLab featuring Marissa Mayer of Google, the Crown Prince of Norway, and "young global leaders," including Calvin Chin, the CEO of Qifang, a Shanghai-based online community that helps poor Chinese students pay for college, and Allon Raiz, CEO of Raizcorp, a South African company that helps entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Among the topics to be discussed: "promoting transparency in government, business, and civil society."
I'll also be interested in a panel on the "Media's Role in Shaping Norms" that will feature David Brooks, Peggy Conlon, CEO of the Ad Council, and Naif Al-Mutawa, a Kuwaiti social entrepreneur.
The overarching theme of this year's forum is "Shared Norms for the New Reality." Among the shared norms Schwab will highlight in his opening remarks is "collective sacrifice."
It's a notion that has been conspicuously missing from America's political dialogue -- even in the face of the economic hardships of the last two-plus years. As David Leonhardt recently noted in the New York Times, countries like Germany and Canada have avoided mass layoffs by cutting hours and pay for everyone, while the notion of shared sacrifice has failed to catch on among our political leaders.
That's why early reports that President Obama will use his State of the Union speech to deliver a theme of national unity and renewal have been so encouraging. It's expected that the 44th president will hearken back to another president who faced a crossroads moment, JFK, who, in 1961, responded to the national shock at the Soviet Union having pulled ahead in the space race with the launch of Sputnik by promising to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
"Expect the president on Tuesday to hearken back to that time," wrote HuffPost's Howard Fineman, "and to say we face another 'Sputnik moment' -- an economic one." And the New York Times calls the president's speech "a pivot point not only for himself but also for the nation."
Crossroads and pivot points. This is one of those moments when you have the feeling that if we get it wrong, we'll be living in a very different world.
From Davos to DC, it's clear that the world is in need of big ideas. Let's hope the president, and those business and government leaders gathering a continent away, rise to the challenge.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
Johann Koss and John W. McArthur: Davos 2011: Communities of Action to End Extreme Poverty
You've got to ask yourself, how did it happen that we the citizens are sitting here with foreclosures, devastated retirement savings, and 4+Trillion in national debt while those wining, tax averse, rich guys who got all the subsidies seem to have put that same amount into their pockets?
How about talking about our immigration policy designed to pay for our 55 million retiring baby boomers? iow.. open the door..wide open..we need to sustain enough of a growth rate.
I keep asking and I've provided some links but Arianna you are there..what's the scoop?
There is only one statement that has any credibilty coming from such an
intelligent and well-informed assemblage; "THE WORLD CANNOT CONTINUE
TO OPERATE UNDER THE PRESENT ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIAL
DISTORTIONS CURRENTLY IN PLACE."
Barack Obama alluded to this when he stated that, ~"this is not the world of
Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin", yet he cannot escape the legacy; nor can the rest of the world.
The role of shaping that legacy still is too heavily weighted to US and
European "interests", and as long as the legacy continues there are no plans
or formulations to correct the distortions facing humanity.
So much for the most intelligent, powerful, and rich people on the planet.
They are fast approaching the point where only the truth will matter. All the armies with all the guns,and all the money will not matter, "because even the poor and illiterate understand injustice when they see it." ...and wasn't it a small injustice in Tunisia that precipitated the fall of a failed attempt at dynasty.
The avg egyption makes $2 dollars a day and lives in poverty.
Power to the people.
Where's the money at ... is it in banks and if so what banks or corporations or countries are holding the worlds wealth.
Reported,
"Humanity is at a cross-roads," Klaus Schwab, the Forum's founder, plans to say in his open remarks. "We can either continue to work as lobbyists for our narrowly defined self-interests and keep doing the same old things that got us into the crisis in the first place," or we can "act together as true global leaders, with the long term global public interest in mind and at heart." And you reported that they have a panel "Scaling Up Big Ideas."
If we are to wrest civilization from the 'same old things that got us here,' we must deal with the major constraint on social, economic and political progress. Time after time in countless cultures that constraint has been debt, and the consequences of being in perpetual, growing debt. Governments can, at will, create money/credit without a middle man, but few actually do. These middle men (Central Banks) charge interest, which becomes a perpetual debt service payment for these not-for-profit public entities of the world.
Now, what if the "Big Idea" for this century is to get around the middlemen by not incurring public sector debt through borrowing from them. And, instead, employ the sovereign right to create debt free currency/funding in place of interest bearing notes, bills and bonds? We swap out the latter to eliminate inflationary threats. All goods and services required by the public sector or payed for with debt free currency.
Problem Solved
"Idea too big???"
Well they have. After all they're the ones who brought us to the financial meltdown party. They're the only ones who had any fun since they siphoned off around $7 trillion in assets worldwide that used to belong to individual citizens not part of the "leadership" class.
These "leaders" would never point the finger at the real source of crippling global debt, because they are benefactors. they get their share of global, sovereign, debt service payments.
I'm forming the Monetary Anarchists Party. You up for that?
I think the president lives in a box which includes only his selfish concerns for his & his alone.
He brags how his mother and grandmother raised him, yet he turns his back on our poor.
Michelle works to have 'healthy foods' which only the rich can afford.
Your biggest concern is the size of children? When you leave them homeless and nothing
but pasta to stretch the pantry? Pasta- $1.00 lb. Green pepper-$ 1.49 each. Hmmmmm.
Those that dine on steak, lobster, and the finest wines---telling the rest of the world how to eat.
It is a joke............this administration has been a joke for the American Main street.
Guess that was part of the deal...........now at the WEF......'humanity is at a crossroad'?
Come on........it is just that they are finally figuring out if so many people are jobless---there is no one to work and make/buy-----especially buy-----their products. So now THEY are losing money.
They do not give a damn about the people, unless it serves.... them.
Yet Americans think slavery has been abolished....look around my friends.....the color of your skin does not exempt you from slavery.
Today they call it.... ~the poor~... or... ~Main Sreet .America~.
And the worst is yet to come.