April, 2003

The Davos Forum: Western-Islamic Dialogue

Samia Bibars

Under the banner 'Building trust,' the World Economic Forum held its 33rd annual session in Davos, Switzerland from 23 to 28 January 2003. The participants numbered over 2,000, including 239 political figures, 37 men of religion, 71 NGO officials, 172 academic experts, 264 media and press representatives, and more than 1,300 businessmen.

During the opening session, on terrorism, participants directed harsh criticism against the unilateral policy adopted by the US under the pretext of war on terrorism. The Malaysian prime minister referred to the state of fear and uncertainty that the world is experiencing, and warned against the extension of the war against terrorism, which would have dangerous consequences for the international community as a whole on the political, economic and social levels.

In his assessment of the US policy regarding Iraq, secretary-general of the Arab League Amr Moussa said that the Security Council is the only body authorised to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, by the means it sees appropriate. He underscored that a declaration of war without prior reference to the Security Council is unacceptable. Moussa expressed his dismay at the US rush in the Iraqi crisis, criticising the US policy of double standards vis-à-vis North Korea, where Washington is still using diplomatic means to find a solution.

Predictably, the Iraqi issue, the possibilities of war, and the impact on the oil market and the world economy overwhelmed the forum. In an attempt to justify the US policy towards Iraq, Richard Hass, director of policy planning at the US State Department, said that Washington was not applying a unilateral policy. He pointed out that Security Council Resolution 1441 was backed not only by the US but by the 15 member states of the Security Council. Many in attendance remained unconvinced, though, and there were several declarations rejecting war on Iraq.

Amnesty International declared that any military action against Iraq might lead to political collapse in the Middle East and would, at the very least, aggravate oppression in the region.

Businessmen and economists addressed the consequences of war on the world economy and especially oil prices. They believe a war on Iraq would negatively impact the growth of the world economy in the short term, and possibly bring the pumping of oil in the region to a standstill. Should there be a repetition of the Gulf War scenario, they warned, oil prices would rise as soon as the war begins.

While a short, successful war would see oil prices fall back into line, the worst scenario, a long war, would endanger oil supplies and thus lead to major price increases and a global economic recession. With the US economy witnessing no growth in the last quarter of 2002 and suffering from a decline in monetary reserves, the global outlook is not promising.

Davos is one of the most prominent forums to focus on dialogue between civilisations. A special session in January 2000 examined the issue with the participation of a score of leaders and intellectuals from Islamic and Western countries. In this context, the initiative for West-Islamic World Dialogue was proposed and was adopted by the forum in its latest sitting. This initiative indicates the extent to which the events of 11 September 2001 strengthened the idea of the clash of civilisations, particularly between Islam and secular countries, or Islamic civilisation and the Western model. The results showed that the proponents of the clash theory focus on cultural, historical, political and economic differences rather than similarities.

The dialogue stresses that Islamic countries have been influenced by their deep relations with Europe and the US and that Islam has also left an indisputable imprint on the formulation of the Western model and on that of the contemporary world. Hence, in a world of interdependence, it is possible to achieve cooperation between the West and the Islamic world in different political, economic and cultural areas through openness to dialogue based on common values and interests. Yet the initiative adopted by the forum does not aim merely at highlighting similarities between value systems in the West and the Islamic world, but rather at promoting cooperation and accelerating growth and sustainable development in both regions.