Adam Tooze: nuclear escalation risk not priced in
Larry Elliott
Geopolitical rivalries are also dominating attentions.
Professor Adam Tooze of Columbia University in NYC said he was worried about China, because there didn’t seem to be an “off ramp” from Beijing’s zero lockdown policy.
Tooze, though, is even more concerned about the Cold War turning hot, as the Russia-Ukraine war continues.
“The nuclear escalation risk has not been priced in” Tooze tells us, as I have considered what Vladimir Putin might do next.
Politicians in the US, he said, were aiming to deprive Russia of the ability to pursue independent military action, something that it hadn’t done in the years between the end of the Second World War and the collapse of communism.
“This doesn’t feel like the Cold War.”
Tooze said he was not sure how NATO would respond to a Russian use of tactical nuclear weapons but was certain of one thing: it would lead to a monumental global financial crash.
Introduction: World ‘in trouble’ as food crisis intensifies
Good morning from Davos.
Worries over a worsening food crisis and an economic downturn are looming over the second day of the World Economic Forum.
The supply disruption caused by the war in Ukraine, with Black Sea ports blocked, is driving up prices, creating shortages and the risk of famine.
Achim Steinerthe administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP)tells us that the world is not prepared for what’s ahead:
“We are in trouble. The war in Ukraine is dramatic in so many ways. There is an acute crisis in food, fuel and finance. As of today there is no reason to believe this is a short term challenge.
We are in the middle of a series of unfolding crises and the world is not prepared for it.
Hunger, Steiner said, was probably the one thing that got people on the streets because once people found they couldn’t afford to feed their families they lost faith in government.
“What we saw in Sri Lanka we are likely to see in more and more countries.”
Steiner said 200 million people were facing acute hunger, double the figure of five years ago. “This is very serious,” he said.
Higher energy prices – another consequence of the Ukraine war – were causing balance of payments problems for many developing countries.
“Wealthier nations have a decision to make. Are they going to step up or do they let things drift on.”
Yesterday, IMF chief Kristalina georgieva warned that anxiety around access to food at reasonable prices is “hitting the roof” around the world.
David Beasleyhead of the UN World Food Programme, warns there is a ‘devastating hunger crisis’ looming, with millions on the brink of famine.
kick off #WEF22 in #Davos. With a devastating global hunger crisis at our doorstep, it is all hands on deck to pull millions back from the brink of famine. We need EVERYONE’s help to save lives today: from world leaders to the private sector and billionaires!! pic.twitter.com/oAH1LApFSX
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) May 23, 2022
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kick off #WEF22 in #Davos. With a devastating global hunger crisis at our doorstep, it is all hands on deck to pull millions back from the brink of famine. We need EVERYONE’s help to save lives today: from world leaders to the private sector and billionaires!! pic.twitter.com/oAH1LApFSX
— David Beasley (@WFPChief) May 23, 2022
David Beasly (@WFPChief) told #wef22 today that we’re facing the worst humanitarian crisis in a century. He was addressing a session on the global food crisis, where he warned of the consequences of the war in Ukraine for food security.
Readmore: https://t.co/VYUB400Y8a@WFP pic.twitter.com/zT1g7GBRej
— World Economic Forum (@Davos) May 23, 2022
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Ursula Von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO, are both giving keynote speeches today, in another busy day.
The programme’s hereand here’s a selection:
The schedule:
- 8.45am Davos (7.45am BST): Reimagining the global tax system, with Gabriela Bucher of Oxfam, Stefanie Stantcheva, Professor of Economics at Harvard University, Mathias Cormann of the OECD
- 10am Davos (9am BST): Special address by Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez
- 10.45am Davos (9.45am BST): The geopolitical outlook, with Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Andrzej Duda, President of Poland, Gregory W. Meeks, Congressman from New York, José Manuel Albares Bueno, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Spain, HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland
- 11am Davos (10am BST): Special address by Ursula Von Der Leyen, president of the European Commission
- 11.15am Davos (10.15am BST): Panel on Hybrid working, what happens next?
- 11.30am Davos: Special Address by Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO
- 11.45am Davos (10.45am BST): Speeding up road to net zero with Fatih Birol of IEA, John Kerry, Catherine MacGregor, Frans Timmermans.
- 2.30pm: How to tackle the cost of living crisis
- 3pm: Energy Security and the European Green Deal, including Pedro Sánchez, Anna Borg, CEO Vattenfall, Frans Timmermans, executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, European Commission, Ester Baiget, CEO Novozymes, Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania
- 3.30pm: A Conversation with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
- 4.30pm Davos (3.30pm BST): Securing Europe, with Andriy Yermak, Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Belgium’s prime minister Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium, Stevo Pendarovski, President of North Macedonia, Kajsa Ollongren, Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Jens Stoltenberg Secretary-General of NATO
- 5.30pm Davos (4.30pm BST): Preparing for next pandemic, including Bill Gates, Peter Sands, executive director of The Global Fund To Fight Aids, Tuberculosis & Malaria, Francis deSouza, CEO of Illumina, Helen E. Clark of WHO, Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism