Leaders in Western countries, led by the United States, had to defend the liberal global order that their forefathers had shown "foresight, audacity and big heartedness" in building. Noting the unease felt around the world following recent events, he addressed the Republican elephant that has been hanging about the WEF's cavernous Congress Hall for the past two days. He pointedly called out Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, he said, "has a different vision of the future." He charged that Putin was behind cyber attacks and misinformation to influence electoral outcomes in Western democracies, including the recent U.S. elections. The U.S., for its part, had stood for an international order where countries were free to decide their own futures and associate with others as they saw fit.

Source: The China Post January 21, 2017 16:39 UTC