Davos tests the limits in a world of power, profit, and inequality

For one week each year, the quiet ski town of Davos transforms into a global stage — and today, the circus of money, influence, and dealmaking that is the World Economic Forum has officially begun.

For much of its history, the forum has been seen as a place for billionaires, business executives, and world leaders to tackle some of the globe’s biggest problems. But while this year’s banner theme is “a spirit of dialogue,” the backdrop of the event feels like anything but.

Davos’ most-watched attendee will be U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has spent the past year slashing foreign aid, retreating from multilateral diplomacy, and embracing an openly transactional approach to foreign affairs. Meanwhile, Iran is convulsing in upheaval, and thousands of protestors have been killed in the capital’s streets. And across the world, countries from Greenland to Gaza have been caught in the geopolitical crossfire.