The world is attending the , one that was largely shaped and symbolized by Davos. A time of free trade, investments without borders, democratic expansion, cosmopolitanism and alliance between Atlantic democracies. Another time is now taking hold that is the antithesis of that one: democratic regression, nationalism, brutal tearing of the transatlantic bond. This is the somber context in which the traditional annual conference of the Swiss Alpine town will be held starting this Tuesday, with a notable attendance of business and political leaders, among them Donald Trump, the great captain of the assault on the world from before.
The president of the United States will coincide at the forum with several of the traditional Atlantic allies with whom he is involved today in a very tense fight that is one of the crucial aspects of the new time. By hook or by crook they have brought the transatlantic relationship to its lowest point since at least the Suez crisis. Trump has stated on his social network that, after having a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he plans to hold a meeting in Davos with representation from various parties regarding Greenland.
For days, European leaders have been outlining a forceful response to the US decision to impose new tariffs on countries that have shown solidarity with Greenland, and the risk of escalation is very high. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said yesterday in Davos that “it would not be a wise idea” to proceed with this retaliation and stressed that Trump’s words must be taken seriously. The president made it clear by publishing an image in which he is seen planting the American flag in the territory of Greenland, with an epic similar to the iconic photo of Iwo-Jima and a poster that clarifies that this will happen in 2026.
Public statements from the United States suggest that the White House has no intention of slowing down and considers having what, in jargon, is defined as the advantage of escalation, that is, a greater capacity to sustain a spiral of measures and countermeasures. He trusts that Europeans will be paralyzed by their internal divisions and that, in any case, they do not have the capacity to keep up.
Friedrich Merz (Germany), Emmanuel Macron (France), Mark Carney (Canada), Ursula von der Leyen (European Commission), among many others, are scheduled to participate in Davos. But Trump’s political allies such as Javier Milei (Argentina) and the British opponent Nigel Farage will also be in Davos. Of special interest will be the performance in ideological terms, but it shows clear symptoms of discomfort with its policies and a desire to maintain a profile of reliability with European partners. She is scheduled to attend, although she is trying to avoid being considered a participant in a forum against which, as a sovereigntist leader, she has launched acid criticism for a long time, like Farage.
Aside from the official program, there is expectation about meetings between the president of the White House and Von der Leyen and with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO.
Another protagonist in Davos will be the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. Everything indicates that the fight between Europeans and the United States may result in a reduction in American support for kyiv. The White House skillfully plays with the advantage of European dependence in matters of security – and specifically with the crisis unleashed by the Russian invasion – to obtain advantages in other matters, be it Greenland or in the technology sector.
Precisely, the technology sector will be heavily represented in Davos, with leaders such as Jensen Huang from Nvidia, Satya Nadella from Microsoft, or Alex Karp, executive director of Palantir, a company strongly intertwined with the Trump project, whether through business – a $10 billion contract with the Pentagon for ultra-sensitive developments in software, data and AI – or through ideological means. The president of Palantir, Peter Thiel, has declared that democracy and freedom are incompatible.
Significantly, on the Promenade, the main street of Davos, where the booths representing governments or companies congregate, the USA House stands right in front of the Palantir building. The graphic of the American booth shows an eagle profile with a design and size that conveys a very strong sense of aggressiveness.
The perspectives of AI, the dilemma about its ability to generate productivity improvements and, therefore, benefits that are sufficiently rapid and intense to justify the enormous investments that are being made, will undoubtedly be one of the central elements of the event. However, geopolitical unrest seems to dominate the horizon.
Of course, not only the Western world will be represented. The Forum has the participation of the Vice Prime Minister of China, He Lifeng, the presidents of Indonesia (Prabowo Subianto), Egypt (Abdel Fattá Al Sisi), Syria (Ahmed al Shara), among others. Predictably, Beijing will try to put even more emphasis on its traditional script of showing itself as a responsible partner of the international community, a job greatly facilitated by the blast that the White House is orchestrating. Many are rethinking their place in the world as a result of it, and in that reconsideration there is room for a rapprochement with China, like the one being carried out by Canada or India.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi was also on the program, but on Monday he withdrew the invitation, claiming that it was extended last fall, but that the “tragic loss of life in recent weeks means that it is not fair that the Government of Iran is represented.”
