Ian Bremmer

Eurasia Group’s weekly selection of essential reading for the political risk junkie – presented in no particular order. As always, feel free to give us your feedback or selections @EurasiaGroup or @IanBremmer.

1.”The confidential list of everyone attending Davos this year”

David Yanofsky, Quartz

The first step to assessing Davos and the World Economic Forum is reading up on who attends. Yanofsky answers that question in novel ways — particularly the regional breakdown and analysis. Two-thirds of attendees hail from North America or Europe. Less than 8% come from Africa and South America…combined. This piece seems to take the ‘World’ out of ‘World Economic Forum.’  

2. “Scenarios for the Russian Federation”

World Economic Forum

In this report, The World Economic Forum spells out possible long-term challenges that Russia faces. It focuses on three in particular: the “ongoing evolutions in the global energy landscape, the quality of Russia’s domestic institutional environment and dynamics of social cohesion within the country.” Lo and behold, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was in Davos– and he responded to the report in his keynote address. Whether he provided any revelatory answers is another story.

3. “Joseph Stiglitz and the World Economic Forum: Making the Connection Between Climate Change and Economics”

Tina Gerhardt, Huffington Post

In the last 30 years, extreme weather has cost the United States an estimated $1.06 trillion dollars. If even a significant fraction of that volatile weather is a product of climate change, then the US needs to brace itself for a hefty bill going forward.

4. “America: The Next Energy Superpower?”

Anthony Fensom, The DIplomat

In Davos, we’ve seen a lot of attention to the structural positive economic trends underway in the United States. Chief among them? The energy revolution taking place in North America. This piece spells out the implications.

5. “WSJ Live from Davos”

The Wall Street Journal has a live-streaming page devoted to social media from Davos. If the articles above only whetted your appetite, this blog is sure to make you overeat.