Welcome to a special edition of FP This Week, with editor in chief Ravi Agrawal reporting from Davos. I haven't been to Davos in eight years, and I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived in the Swiss mountain town for the first World Economic Forum annual meeting since January 2020. The most obvious change from years past is that it's not winter. Gone are the snow boots and insulated jackets; people can move around more easily. Another reminder that things aren't quite the same old is that everyone attending—world leaders, CEOs, and members of civil society—had to test negative for COVID-19 before traveling. While this year's summit is a bit smaller than the 2020 gathering, Davos has evolved over the years. The usual suspects have come with their large contingents—the United States and India, for example, are represented by several top state lawmakers—but there's a much bigger corporate presence now as well, with many unofficial events on the sidelines, and a lot of deal-making. One nation-state that's not represented this year is Russia. The summit has taken the rare step of banning it, and a site once called "Russia House," which used to showcase Moscow's soft (and hard) power in Europe, has been rebranded "Russian War Crimes House." Obviously Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine is top of the agenda at this year's discussions, overlapping with other debates about global energy, the world's worsening food supply, and how to strengthen post-pandemic health care systems. This morning I caught Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual appearance, in which he challenged business leaders to push for a "complete withdrawal" of their operations in Russia. Davos is often thought of as chummy and smug, a byword for a cabal of global elitists. Some of the criticisms are fair. But the so-called Davos Man has adapted, and this time around the shindig is noticeably less male, less white, and less Western. The question is whether gatherings such as Davos can face their critics head-on by developing more equitable solutions to the cascading crises currently facing the world. Later this week, FP is hosting a panel discussion at the summit called "Return to War." I will be moderating a conversation with four top thinkers: Shangri-La Dialogue senior fellow Lynn Kuok, Harvard University's Graham Allison, Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth, and King's College London's Lawrence Freedman. FP readers can join me and watch live on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT. (This panel will also be livestreamed on ForeignPolicy.com.) —Ravi Agrawal, FP editor in chief
New and Noteworthy - Outer Space Security & Governance: As space becomes an increasingly competitive domain, essential security and stability challenges need to be addressed. The potential for future conflicts in space, or for conflicts on Earth to spill into space, is intensifying as more actors develop counterspace weapons that could destroy systems on Earth. For a deeper understanding of the key trends and issues in outer space, preview FP Analytics' latest Power Map, designed specifically for FP Insiders.
- I Spy Season 4: On FP's hit podcast, we get spies to share their stories. Hosted by Margo Martindale (famous for her work on The Americans), you'll hear from the operations people: the spies who steal secrets, who kill adversaries, who turn agents into double agents. This season, we’ll also have an I Spy newsletter, with real photography provided by the spies, new illustrations, and more bonus content you won’t find anywhere else. Listen to the new trailer on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will be released on May 31.
- FP Live: Australians voted for change this past Saturday in a historic election that replaced almost a decade of conservative rule with Anthony Albanese and a Labor Party-led government. Tomorrow, join FP executive editor Amelia Lester for a wide-ranging interview with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd discussing what Australia's elections mean for the world. May 24, 10 a.m. EDT.
Meet the Journalist Colm Quinn is the writer of Morning Brief, Foreign Policy' s flagship daily newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Catch up on last week's briefings here, and sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning. "About me: I've been working in (lowercase) foreign policy in Washington for over a decade. I've seen presidents come and go, wars (eventually) end, and watched as 'strategic rivalry' supplanted terrorism as the capital's driving principle. I'm from a small island in the North Atlantic best known for black beer, green hills, and long grudges—so you won't find any American exceptionalism here (each newsletter, however, will be exceptional)." |
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