Synopsis
Nestled high up in the Swiss Alps, blanketed by pointy evergreen pine trees, and surrounded by snowcapped peaks, sits the idyllic Sertig Valley. And at the high end of the valley sits the small, picturesque town of Davos. During the summer months, cowbells ring across the valley on lazy afternoons. In the winter months, skiers from nearby Zurich mingle with the locals in the town’s cafes. But every January the town bursts onto the world stage. Its airspace buzzes with hundreds of private jets flying in from around the world, its snowy streets get crowded with chauffeured limousines, and the world’s elite investors, economists, celebrities, journalists, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and heads of state assemble in the Davos Congress Centre for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The theme of the World Economic Forum’s 51st annual meeting in 2021 was “The Great Reset.” Klaus Schwab, the WEF’s executive chairman, outlined three primary components of the Great Reset initiative: (1) Governments should aim to steer the market toward fairer outcomes and a "stakeholder economy." (2) Governments and business leaders of all kinds should commit to fashioning all future building projects - business, infrastructure, or real estate - in a way that is "resilient, equitable, and sustainable," leading to a greener future. (3) This "Great Reset" should harness the innovations of a so-called "Fourth Industrial Revolution" to support the public good, especially by addressing health and social challenges.
The Great Reset has struck a chord. In just a few short months it has managed to ignite a fierce global debate. Enthusiastic supporters have lined up to praise its ambitious proposals and support its lofty rhetoric. Skeptics have scoffed at its vague buzz words and at the hollow virtue signaling and cringeworthy grandstanding of the out-of-touch global elites who comprise the WEF’s membership. And conspiracy theorists have perceived yet another sinister plot to kill, incarcerate, or control the masses and achieve world domination.