Uneasy Observation from Davos

The Financial Times sent a number of its editors and columnists to report on the pessimistic views of the 2,600 attendees at the 2009 World Economic Forum at Davos in the Swiss Alps. A special 16-page section of the newspaper reported on the Forum activities. Here's the item that made me the most uneasy.

Last year's nebulous topic of "the power of collaborative innovation" seemed a world away as a darker theme took hold. The concern about social unrest voiced by Christine Lagarde, French finance minister, was shared by several delegates.

"I think people are overly focused on the economic implications and not adequately focused on the social implications," warned Rich Gelfond, chief executive of the big screen cinema operator Imas. "People seem somewhat myopic. You wonder whether next year at Davos people are going to say, 'Why didn't we see the social unrest coming and the increase in global conflict?'"