DAVOS: Rising risks to the global economy and a string of militant attacks around the world overshadowed Wednesday’s opening of an annual meeting of the rich and powerful in Switzerland.

Wednesday’s militant assault on a university Charsadda was a jolt to the billionaires, business titans and leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, gathering in the Swiss Alpine village of Davos.

The heightened security threat was starkly in evidence in Davos itself, with police carrying machine-guns patrolling the streets and concrete blast blocks positioned in front of key venues.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said governments must defend the values of free and open societies against militant attacks and not yield to fear.

“I think people are open to not choosing to live in constant fear. There are terrible things in the world, terrible people who want to attack our free and open society.

“We have to make a choice about how much we’re going to close and limit and crack down within our societies in order to protect it, because if you do that too much, you lose part of the free and open nature of society.”

He said: “I have a tremendous level of confidence in ordinary people who go through their lives, don’t think a lot about politics, don’t think a lot about terrorism, (and instead) think a lot about their families, about their job, about their future and about their community and want to see things work in the right way.”

Mr Trudeau said: “Canada recognises that we need a global concerted response to... terrorists. Canada has an important role to play, on a humanitarian side, on a refugee side, and yes on the military side as well,” suggesting he would like to see his country send more military trainers to Iraq to “help local troops bring the battle directly to (the enemy)”.

“If there is one thing that recent history has taught us, it is that ultimately, conflicts like this need to have their resolution on the ground, with people who live (there) and want to take their countries back from terrorists.”

Fears over the obstacles facing major emerging economies were on everyone’s lips at the annual gathering after the International Monetary Fund lowered its outlook for global economic growth this year.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said there could be no military solution to the devastating war in Syria and said further confrontation with Saudi Arabia was in no-one’s interest.

Mr Zarif also said: “I find it rather bizarre that the United States expresses concern over the Iranian missile programme, which is defensive and does not violate any current international regulation.”

He urged Saudi Arabia to not choose conflict. “I think our Saudi neighbours need to understand that confrontation is in the interests of no-one.”

“There is no reason to panic, my friends,” Mr Zarif said, addressing the Saudis. “Iran is there to work with you, Iran does not want to exclude anybody from this region,” he said.

MIGRANTS: German President Joachim Gauck said his country could not take in all the asylum seekers who wanted to begin a new life there and that it was not unethical of Berlin to limit the influx, pressing other European countries to share the burden.

Mr Gauck said a policy of limiting the inflow of refugees could be morally and politically necessary to allow the state to cope. “Restrictions are not per se unethical,” he told the forum. “Restrictions help to support acceptance. But without acceptance a society is not open and receptive.”

Business leaders also heard of the rising threat posed by cyber attacks.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2016