Davos 2026: The Economic Forum Confronts International Struggles

The World Economic Forum (WEF), long perceived as a hushed space for dialogue among economic elites, political leaders, and global decision-makers, took on a very different character this year. Davos was no longer just a meeting point for global economic governance; it emerged as an open-air stage where the major international struggles of our time were expressed, sometimes brutally.

From the very first sessions, the tone was set. Consensus-driven speeches on inclusive growth and green transition quickly gave way to strong stances, revealing a fragmented world. Geopolitical tensions – whether persistent armed conflicts, rivalries between major powers, or the reconfiguration of regional alliances – took center stage, overshadowing traditional economic themes. Davos thus ceased to be a mere coordination forum and became a space for symbolic confrontation.

War, security, and sovereignty dominated the discussions. Several heads of state and ministers used the WEF platform to defend their narratives, seek support, or, conversely, denounce adversaries. In the corridors as well as on the podiums, diplomatic language became harsher, more direct.

However, the struggles observed at Davos were not solely inter-state. The Forum also highlighted deep tensions between economic models and worldviews. On one side, proponents of regulated capitalism, keen to integrate climate and social imperatives; on the other, those advocating a return to power dynamics, protectionism, and overt competition. Debates on artificial intelligence, energy transition, or the debt of Southern countries revealed clear fractures between North and South, between advanced economies and vulnerable nations, between promises of solidarity and the realities of power dynamics.

Civil society and non-state actors also contributed to this transformation of the WEF into an arena of struggles. NGOs, intellectuals, activists, and social entrepreneurs challenged official discourses, sometimes directly. Outside the secured perimeter, demonstrations served as a reminder that Davos remains, for many, a symbol of a global system deemed unequal and disconnected from the realities of populations. Inside, some voices attempted to reconcile these criticisms with the imperatives of global governance, not without difficulty.

This shift of the World Economic Forum is not insignificant. It reflects a world where traditional spaces for mediation and consensus are becoming scarce. Davos, once a place of synthesis and compromise, is becoming a mirror of an international system marked by distrust, polarization, and competition. In this sense, the Forum has not so much changed its nature as it has spectacularly revealed the true state of international relations.

By transforming this year into a true stage for international struggles, the WEF poses a central question: can it still be a place for the collective construction of global solutions, or is it now merely a theater where the world's fractures are exposed? The answer remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: Davos 2026 will have marked a rupture, showing that even the most polished spaces of globalization are no longer immune to the conflicts reshaping the world order.