Klaus Schwab is a German engineer and economist best known as the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), an annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, that brings together international political, business, and other societal leaders to discuss global issues.
In 1971, he founded the European Management Forum, which was initially a gathering of European business leaders. The forum evolved over time, expanding its focus to include political and social issues, changing its name to the World Economic Forum in 1987.
The WEF’s annual meeting at Davos has become one of the most influential gatherings of global leaders.
For all the wrong reasons.
Johnny Vedmore investigates family histories.
He chatted to me about the WEF’s Young Global Leaders (YGL) program, tracing its origins back to a similar initiative run by Harvard University and funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The Harvard program, known as Henry Kissinger’s International Seminar, was part of a broader American strategy to groom potential young foreign leaders and install them into positions of power to prevent communist infiltration and ensure future global leaders would be amenable to U.S. interests.
The YGL program, founded by Klaus, who himself was a product of Kissinger’s seminar, has been instrumental in placing many individuals into influential roles within business, civil society, and politics.
Johnny also touched on the CIA’s historical involvement in covert operations and political infiltration worldwide, including the funding of various educational initiatives designed to shape future global leaders.
