As the World Economic Forum kicks off its global summit in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, critics of the annual gathering are eager to show that the well-polished public image of the event should not be allowed to eclipse the nefarious and destructive role played by the many corporate elites that sponsor it.
Even amid seemingly thoughtful discussions about climate change, economic inequality, water scarcity and other key global issues, what’s important to remember, says Alex Jensen, an expert on globalization and development at the International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC), is that a critical look at any of these crises shows “the complicity of the very corporations that the WEF represents.”
Beyond its glossy “veneer,” Jensen says, the Davos summit acts as a stage “for multinational corporations, among them human rights abusers, political racketeers, property thieves and international environmental criminals.”
According to Jensen, looking at Davos’ corporate sponsors this year—which include Nestle, Shell, Wal-Mart, Syngenta, and Goldman Sachs—is like looking at a ‘Who’s Who’ list of corporate criminals. He writes:
Ahead of this year’s summit, the international aid agency Oxfam International released a report slamming “the winner take all” approach now endemic to global capitalism. According to the report, the wealthy elites exemplified by attendees at Davos have “co-opted political power to rig the rules of the economic game, undermining democracy and creating a world where the 85 richest people own the wealth of half of the world’s population.”
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Click Here: cheap sydney roosters jersey