Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may be the beginning of the “third world war” that could spell the end of civilization, veteran philanthropist George Soros warned at the World Economic Forum.
In a ferocious attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at Davos 2022, Soros warned that autocratic regimes were in the ascendant, and the global economy was headed for a depression.
This year’s World Economic Forum has focused largely on the war in Ukraine. Soros’ remarks were some of the bleakest yet.
“The invasion may have been the beginning of the third world war and our civilisation may not survive it,” Soros said, continuing that the invasion of Ukraine did not come out of nowhere.
Soros said that the world has increasingly become engaged in a struggle between two systems of governance: “Open society and closed society.”
Repressive regimes are in the ascendant and open societies are under siege, Soros warned, stating that China and Russia present today the “greatest threat to open society.”
The best way to preserve free civilization is for the West to defeat Putin’s forces, the 91-year-old said. The Ukraine war is part of a broader struggle, Soros highlighted, and said that therefore the only way to save civilization is to defeat Putin as soon as possible. “That’s the bottom line,” he said.
Soros’s comments reflected the overall global threats being discussed at Davos.
From foreign affairs to food crises, a somber and uncertain mood has descended on Davos this year. Risks to the global economy are leading to an increasingly gloomy view of the months, if not years, ahead.
Global economic worries are hugely in focus. The risks to the globe, and the global economy, are many, including soaring inflation, squeezed supply chains, threats of food insecurity, the lingering pandemic, and of course, Russia’s war in Ukraine.
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