Why record 44 Heads of State in Davos is not a good sign

A record 44 heads of state/government are attending #Davos2015, eclipsing the previous record 38 set as the Global Finance Crisis broke in  2009. I got to chat about this with WEF managing director Richard Samans, a policy specialist previously in the Clinton White House, who explains why political leaders are more interested than ever in the Davos deliberations. Samans is also responsible for the WEF’s 10 long terms multi year projects. He offers fascinating perspectives, including the rise in religious fundamentalism and the real threat of another major war breaking out with Europe; North East Asia; and the Middle East obvious flashpoints. – AH

ALEC HOGG: I’m with Rick Samans at Davos. We’ve just come out of a really, interesting lunch – Rick is a Managing Director at the World Economic Forum – outlining what we can expect this year. From your portfolio, you look after the long-term projects.

RICK SAMANS: Yes, the forum this week, will be talking about ten global challenge initiatives. These are areas where there are some major public challenges on that international agenda that require a much deeper or broader amount of public/private cooperation to accelerate progress and action. We are using our platform not only in Davos, but on an ongoing basis, to catalyse some specific activity, some things that would make a difference on the ground as well as to engage a strategic dialogue that goes forward among ministers of different portfolios, different CEO’s from industries across the board, and experts (as the case may be) to think in a structured way, about how we can advance progress.

ALEC HOGG: Yours is an interdisciplinary function here at the WEF but listening to your colleagues, it does appear as though there are issues on the table now that haven’t been addressed for some years and are actually, quite concerning.

RICK SAMANS: There are perennial challenges like development and climate change where we need a fresh approach, so that’s the angle we’re taking in this regard. How can we get the public and private finance blended much better so that we provide much more development and finance in developing countries? Whether it is for sustainability/climate-related/better adaptation, infrastructure, or better energy production, or its other types of investments in industries that create jobs. Similarly, we have some big challenges in other areas, such as agriculture and food security, or even new topics like the Internet, which just requires some additional coalitions to come together and just make progress where it’s possible.

ALEC HOGG: You guys work together for a whole year to put together, this one week of… It’s not all you do, but it certainly is the highlight of the year’s work. What do you hope that the delegates and the participants leave Davos with?

RICK SAMANS: I think there’s a feeling coming in from many people that we may be at an inflection point where the international community is, instead of feeling invested in more ways to cooperate and solve problems together, that there are forces, which are now drawing us apart ways. I think the fundamental hope is that this week can serve to inject some new energy and sense of commitment to making some cooperative progress in some areas, rather than worrying solely about what’s wrong or what country is jockeying with what other country for a better position on a given issue.

ALEC HOGG: Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Chairman of the Forum was saying that not since 2009, have these geopolitical risks been as evident.

RICK SAMANS: I think that’s right. In the last year, we’ve seen a lot of fires burning and growing hotter in different parts of the world, whether it’s in the Middle East or certainly, the frontier between Europe and Asia – even in Northeast Asia or East Asia where there serious concerns. In addition, the continent of Africa as well – serious expansion of insecurity in the north and central parts of Africa – for example, Nigeria and elsewhere. So yes, I think this has focused attention, as it hasn’t in many years here, on geopolitical concerns.

ALEC HOGG: Fundamentalism seems to be on the rise as well.

RICK SAMANS: Yes, the manifestations are everywhere. Here, in Switzerland, we’re right next door to France where this is, very much, the issue of the day. Let’s face it. Nigeria and other states in Africa are in this somewhat stateless area right now, in Syria and Iraq (in that region). It’s a real source of concern.

ALEC HOGG: With eight million citizens apparently, in ISIS. You do look at things from a longer-term perspective, though. When you try to look ten years out, difficult as it might be, do you see a glass half-full or empty?

RICK SAMANS: Personally, I’m a cautious optimist here and I’d say that we are working more in the medium term – three to five years is how we organise our processes, going forward. We think about what we do in Davos and the sessions, to fit within what we think ought to be a pathway for dialogue and cooperation over that medium term framework but yes, I have a mixture of emotions. I feel that there is plenty of opportunity to solve a bunch of these questions. I am frustrated frankly, that the attention span and the commitment of leaders in many respects, is just not sufficiently there. They’re so focused on their immediate challenges, which are real. That’s the part that makes me worried, but I don’t see anything that inherently, would prevent us from resolving most of these large challenges.

ALEC HOGG: If you could get a balance between the immediacy and perhaps, making decisions that would be the right ones in the long-term…

RICK SAMANS: Exactly, right. In some cases, what’s required is some imagination. In other cases, what’s required is just a champion or two who will begin to invest the personal capital (political or otherwise) to pull a coalition together that can serve as the core of the snowball that begins to accumulate other people involved. We try to inject a little bit of both into our role as a facilitator, if you will. We try to develop some thought leadership that can expand our imagination about how you make progress through different geometries of cooperation…different players. We also use our convening capabilities sometimes, to try to give an opportunity for champions to emerge and people to rally around them.

ALEC HOGG: Rick, just to close off with, you did work in the White House. The United States Government and its role in the rest of the world is obviously, very close to your heart. Now that the American economy is recovering, is confidence returning to your fellow citizens?

RICK SAMANS: I think that the progress on the economic front is there. It’s clear. I’m encouraged by it. It’s terrific. However, the U.S. does have very significant structural challenges that it has not fully confronted and the political system does not appear (any time soon) to be able to rally the necessary consensus to address those structural challenges, so I have mixed emotions.

ALEC HOGG: It’s a tough job for everyone.

RICK SAMANS: Indeed.

ALEC HOGG: Rick Samans is a Managing Director at the World Economic Forum.

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