In the Swiss mountain town of Davos, nearly 3,000 leaders from over 130 countries gathered in January 2026 for what organizers called “A Spirit of Dialogue.” The 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum brought together presidents, business chiefs, and community leaders at a time when the world felt anything but settled.
Nearly 3,000 leaders converged on Davos in January 2026 seeking dialogue in a world that felt anything but settled.
Then US President Trump threatened tariffs on eight European countries over a dispute about Greenland. Financial markets wobbled. Trade tensions see-sawed daily. What was meant to be a gathering focused on dialogue suddenly became a stage for one leader’s demands. The tariff threats were eventually dropped, but not before they dominated conversations and shifted attention away from the forum’s planned agenda.
Forum President Børge Brende insisted dialogue remained essential to move the world forward. Yet the drama illustrated how quickly global gatherings can be upended by single actors wielding economic threats. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noted this rupture called for honesty about the world as it is, not as people wished it to be. Policymakers also discussed how interest rates and central bank actions can rapidly reshape market sentiment and priorities.
Despite the disruption, meaningful work continued. The Yes/Cities Global Network launched with 17 city-based innovation ecosystems. The Plastics Pact Network announced that 900 organizations had eliminated 33 billion single-use items. A partnership between the Forum and Davos Municipality created plans for a year-round innovation hub. The Global Risk Report 2026 identified geoeconomic confrontation as the most significant risk facing the world.
Conversations about artificial intelligence explored how technology could inject fuel into global GDP while raising questions about job impacts and children’s exposure. New government interventions were 262% higher in 2025 than in 2019, showing how nations were increasingly willing to intervene in markets for security and employment reasons.
Larry Fink emphasized the importance of listening and open disagreement to deepen understanding. French President Macron argued that protection doesn’t mean protectionism. These voices tried to reclaim space for nuanced discussion amid the noise.
The Davos meeting revealed a central tension in modern global cooperation. Dialogue requires patience and good faith. But when one powerful figure can threaten tariffs and capture everyone’s attention, even the best-laid plans for conversation face serious challenges.
