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The World Economic Forum in Davos launched "Fight for Trust". That is the wording used
to describe the topic of the present meeting. The world political and business
elite perceives the situation around Iraq as the main threat to stability.
The main topic of Davos 2003 sounds quite surprising for the economic forum: where has
the trust has gone? According to the results of a poll carried out in 47 countries in
six continents, the trust of ordinary people in public institutions has fallen
dangerously low. Politicians, economists and businessmen from all over the the world
are thinking about ways to regain such trust.
National parliaments and large corporations enjoy the lowest trust all over the world.
Russia and Poland in particular are little trusted. Trade unions, non-governmental
organisations and the press have also lost the respect they used to enjoy. 'The world
is changing rapidly. The old institutions are inadequate virtually everywhere. They are
grasping at their old bureaucratic places, whether it is NATO, or OSCE, or the IMF, and
it is obvious that the world has been shifting somewhere," says Chairman of the
Presidium of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy of the RF Sergei Karaganov.
One of the topics discussed in Davos concerned the problem of security. The world has
still not found clear answers to the new threats connected with sudden manifestations
of terrorism. Russia is discussed only in relation to an expansion of Europe. Barriers
are becoming lower, but only for EU members - the old members and new applicants. For
Russian citizens, however, visa barriers are being transformed into an insurmountable
obstacle. The Russian participants at the Davos meeting spoke about this issue. "The
Europeans have created enormous obstacles that prevent Russians from obtaining European
visas in Moscow. Why? The answer would appear obvious. To protect themselves from the
Russian mafia and Russian gangsters. It is a clear answer, however we can state with
conviction that only normal people stand in queues to get their visas. Gangsters and
mafia obtain their visas from unknown sources and destinations," noted the head of the
YABLOKO faction of the State Duma Grigory Yavlinsky.
Davos also has its barriers. Police cordons are set today at the outskirts of the
town. That is how unwanted guests - anti-globalists - are met here. The police troops
are strengthened by special army forces.
See also:
Press Release. January 23, 2003. Davos 2003. Schedule for Grigory Yavlinsky. "The
Russian Issue."
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