Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Wednesday, Jul 09, 2025

World leaders have a chance to shape the future for better – or worse, World Government Summit told

World leaders have a chance to shape the future for better – or worse, World Government Summit told

The world has reached “an inflection point in history” where leaders have an opportunity to make positive decisions on policies that could have an impact on future generations, the World Government Summit was told on Monday.
Speaking in on a session addressing geopolitics and economics, Frederick Kempe, president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council, said “There were failures and successes after each world war.”

He said since 2020 there has been a number of significant historical moments – not least the outbreak of Covid-19 and more recently Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

He described the war in Ukraine as a “wake up call for us all,” but added that “Putin has not been victorious.”

Kempe added that elsewhere “We haven’t gone into the deepest darkest recession. We have inflation somewhat under control.”

He described 2023 as a “hinge” where the current situations could either end well, or not.

But he warned that turning points in history did not follow a calendar and took as long – or short – a time as it took for an outcome to be established.

Referring to inflection points, from an American standpoint, after World Wars One and Two and the Cold War, he said there were periods of time which he referred to as a “plastic moment where history can be shaped – for better or for worse.”

“After World War One we missed a historic moment, the League of Nations failed. the Versailles Treaty failed.”

Post World War Two, Kempe said “we did better.”

The event of the Turkiye- Syria earthquakes that have killed tens of thousands, saw world leaders respond, sending aid in various forms.

But there was a still a risk for things to worsen – the quake death toll continues to rise and in Ukraine Putin’s forces continue to push.

He said the world had reached “an inflection point in history” where leaders had an opportunity to make positive decisions on policies that would have “an outsized influence that can have generational outcomes.”

He said that he believed the worse outcome would be if Russia was successful in its invasion of Ukraine.

The future of the world is not just decided by the barrel of a gun on a battle field – more now than ever before, commerce is a dominant player.

Chairman of construction firm Walbridge and former US ambassador to the UAE, John Rakolta Jr., and Dean of Said Business School at the University of Oxford, Prof. Soumitra Dutta, said there was a need for global cooperation with investment capitals.

During the session Rakolta said governments could learn from privately owned businesses.

“The private sector has the ability to identify a problem and look at ways to solve it. We measure risks, we are not afraid to make mistakes, as our biggest failures become our biggest lessons,” he added.

Dutta said: “The world is divided between the haves and the have-nots and the gap between the two is large. You need good governance and institutions to attract good investment.

“We have to work together; we have to continue making connections to each other. It is important to understand we do not become great separately but by coming together.”

The final session, held under the title Enhancing a Global Economy for a Growing Population, was hosted by Michala Marcussen, group chief economist of Societe Generale, and David Rosenberg, co-founder and CEO of AeroFarms.

American indoor agricultural company AeroFarms plans to expand into Saudi Arabia this year in partnership with the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund.

Rosenberg said: “We need to embrace the technologies of robotics, animation, and computing powers.”

He highlighted how shortages of food and water supplies, brought about by climate, war, and natural disasters, could be resolved with the use of technology.

On global cooperation, Marcussen said: “We have witnessed a decline in recent years on global cooperation and working across borders to work together but it is the best solution for positive outcomes.

“It is not only the right technology that we need but the correct behaviors put forth by governments,” she added.

Monday’s panel was moderated by the Arab News editor-in-chief, Faisal J. Abbas, at the World Government Summit.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
×