FP This Week: What everyone’s talking about at Davos

A dispatch from FP’s editor in chief [Foreign Policy This Week]( January 17, 2023 | [View in browser]( To access all the benefits of an FP subscription, [sign in]( or [subscribe](. Thanks for reading. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini via Getty Images Davos, Switzerland—The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week, commonly referred to by its location in Davos, is the first to be held in winter since the pandemic began. The cold brings a sense of normalcy to this gathering of the world’s 0.001 percent, but there’s also a sense of déjà vu. Inequality, democratic decline, and the economy continue to dominate conversations, while protesters are still showing up to point out that nothing ever gets done. That doesn’t make Davos [pointless](. It’s important to have convenings where leaders from government, business, and civil society can meet and try their ideas out on each other. Davos is, after all, where both the G-20 and the vaccine alliance Gavi were born. This year, every discussion at WEF—whether it’s about AI or Ukraine—weaves its way back to Beijing. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He addressed delegates today: “We have to abandon the Cold War mentality,” he said, in a not-so-subtle dig at Washington. FP has a busy schedule here this week. I just wrapped up a [panel discussion]( titled “The Geopolitics of Industry” with the CEOs of Fidelity, Ernst & Young, Umicore, and Olayan. We examined how companies navigate an increasingly fractured world in which some countries joined U.S. sanctions on Russia and many didn’t. How do multinational firms decide what their values are when they have teams on every continent? How will they deal with a potential U.S.-China decoupling? (When I asked the four executives how worried they were about decoupling, the answers ranged from 3 to 9 on a scale of 1-10.) Watch [the full interview on FP Live]( for insights on how industry thinks about deglobalization, the U.S.-China rivalry, the war in Ukraine, and much more. Here’s one big omission from this year’s agenda: women. The gender gap isn’t mentioned in the official statement, and male delegates still outnumber women 3:1. So FP hosted a side event—one among literally hundreds at Davos—examining ways to boost women’s economic power. I learned a lot from the CEOs of the Bank of Kigali and Nigeria’s Sterling Bank, as well as Mark Suzman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It was a closed event (sorry), but I’m pleased to say a recording will soon show up on our [podcast HERO]( (the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women). On the topic of podcasts, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recommend a pertinent episode of Ones and Tooze. FP columnist and Davos regular Adam Tooze explained [why there’s such a fuss over Davos](—and why he still goes. Adam also has a terrific new essay out on the whole FTX collapse drama and its disgraced founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. It’s a must-read in which he explains [how and why the Bahamas became the world’s top offshore cryptocurrency haven](. That’s it from me for now. I have one public panel coming up, which will stream live online, about how to “twin” digital advances with the rush of investment in clean-energy systems. I’ll be interviewing the CEOs of BCG, Nokia, and Schneider Electric live on stage. We’ll send it out soon. As ever, Ravi Agrawal, FP editor-in-chief --------------------------------------------------------------- New and Noteworthy - Heat of the Moment: Season three of [FP’s climate podcast]( features first-person stories and on-the-ground reporting from South America, North America, and Africa, documenting communities transitioning from carbon-intensive activities to greener economies. Follow Heat of the Moment on [Spotify](, [Apple](, or wherever you get your podcasts, and listen to the first episode of the new season tomorrow, Jan. 18. - Celebrating MLK: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a towering figure in the history of American civil rights. But he also had an economic philosophy, and he expressed his ideas late in life about capitalism, communism, and the right path for the United States. As Americans observed King’s birthday this past weekend, our Ones and Tooze podcast hosts discuss [his approach to economic policy and justice]( - How to Achieve America’s Climate Goals: Jonathan Pershing, formerly the Biden administration’s No. 2 global climate envoy, joined FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal to discuss Washington’s climate policy and how it is being seen around the world. Access the [on-demand recording]( or read a [lightly edited transcript]( of the conversation. --------------------------------------------------------------- It’s Debatable In the first edition of 2023, our resident policy experts argue whether NATO member Turkey is a [crucial or corrosive ally]( ​​Matt Kroenig: Is President Recep Tayyip Erdogan going to ever let Finland and Sweden into NATO or what? Emma Ashford: Who knows? I suspect that he will relent at some point in the future—perhaps after the Turkish elections in June, or as part of his reelection campaign—and agree to ratify Finland and Sweden’s entry in exchange for Western concessions. But Erdogan has been increasingly playing both sides in recent years, and it’s not impossible that he could refuse entirely. In addition to his troubled relationship with the United States, Erdogan is one of the few leaders who has managed to keep ties open with both Russia and Ukraine. The Turks are even arming Ukraine while [doubling their trade with Russia](. And they helped to orchestrate the grain export deal last year between the two sides. It’s clear that Turkey plays an important role as a diplomatic middleman between Russia and the West. But it’s far less clear why Western leaders tolerate its veto over issues such as NATO membership, at least to me… [Continue reading on Foreign Policy](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Exercise Your Mind French First Lady Brigitte Macron and French Education Minister Pap Ndiaye butted heads last week over which proposed education reform? - Mandatory school uniforms - Required English lessons in schools - Free lunches offered to all students - Year-round schooling You can find the answer to this question at the end of this email. [Click here]( to take the rest of our weekly news quiz. FP subscribers can [sign up]( to be notified when new editions are available. --------------------------------------------------------------- Decoder: Pride and Prejudice in Tehran To understand Iran’s foreign policy, you need to learn a little Farsi. Miscommunication between the United States and Iran is nothing new. But now that U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the nuclear deal with Iran, guaranteeing that tensions will worsen in the months ahead, those hoping to avoid a crisis should start studying a little Farsi, beginning with one word: nafs. The concept most purely defines the essence of Iranian political culture stretching back centuries, especially as it relates to interactions with foreigners. It also offers insight into how the Iranian government approaches difficult diplomacy of the sort it now faces. Nafs literally means “self,” but what matters is the nuance with which Iranians use the term. The most common usages are etemad be nafs, which means self-confidence; shekast-e nafs, which means “broken self” — essentially, modesty; and ezat-e nafs, which denotes self-respect, or simply “pride.” The full article is available [here](. Interested in learning more essential words that help explain the world? Read more from FP’s [Decoder]( series. --------------------------------------------------------------- Most Popular on FP - [The Hidden History of the World’s Top Offshore Cryptocurrency Tax Haven]( by Adam Tooze - [Iran’s Protests Are Nowhere Near Revolutionary]( by Sajjad Safaei - [Why the World Feels Different in 2023]( by Ravi Agrawal - [It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse]( by Alexander J. Motyl - [Taiwan’s Outlying Islands Are at Risk]( by Frederik Kelter --------------------------------------------------------------- Are you interested in learning more about FP Analytics’ cutting-edge research services, hosting an FP Virtual Dialogue event, or building a podcast with FP Studios? [Explore partnership opportunities]( Answer: 1.) Mandatory school uniforms. Macron is in favor of the proposal, whereas Ndiaye opposes it. The appointment of Ndiaye as France’s first Black education minister last year sparked criticism in a nation that prides itself on its supposedly colorblind politics, J. Alex Tarquinio [wrote]( at the time. --------------------------------------------------------------- FOLLOW FP ON This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are subscribed to the FP This Week newsletter. Want a friend to receive this newsletter? [Forward it]( now. Want to receive other FP newsletters? [Manage]( your FP newsletter preferences. 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