The World Economic Forum's report states that issues such as geopolitically based economic tensions, increasing military conflicts between states, serious climate problems, growing social polarization, false and misleading information, economic decline, the increasing complexity of AI technology, and cybersecurity are serious global challenges in the coming year.

The report states that powerful countries are increasingly using economic weapons such as trade sanctions, tariff increases, and investment controls for international dialogue and geopolitical gain.

As the ‘Global Risk Report’ released by the forum on January 14 pointed out, economic issues were overshadowed by geopolitics, technology, and military debates at the forum’s 56th conference held last week. The conference, held in the context of US President Donald Trump’s disputes with Europe, Russia, China, India, and South American countries on various issues at the same time, focused on geopolitical issues. The conference, which gathered about 3,000 leaders, publishers, entrepreneurs, and experts from 130 countries around the world in Davos, Switzerland, was different and tense than other editions. Rather than common issues such as multilateral cooperation and open markets between countries, trade wars, customs duties, and the weaponization of economies in the name of national security and strategic competition were seen to dominate.

Donald Trump, who has been imposing tariffs one after another since he was elected president, warned that he would increase such tariffs in the Greenland dispute. The US, the EU and China have been at loggerheads and have been locked in a war of words. Trump has said that US control of Greenland is strategically important for the security of the US and the world. European countries have been angered by his desire. The conference was marred by a row over Trump's threat to impose tariffs of 10 to 25 percent on Denmark and seven other European countries and even threaten to use military force to acquire Greenland. Later, he indicated that he would not use military force, that he would create an Arctic security framework through NATO and that he would continue to exert economic pressure. At the conference, Trump announced the establishment of a 'Board of Peace' as a new international body capable of resolving global conflicts effectively and quickly. Trump called on world leaders to participate in the board, which was formed to resolve the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Although countries such as Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia signed the board's declaration, countries including France, Norway and Sweden refused to participate, saying that the body could replace the role of the United Nations. European countries were further irritated when Trump invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to join the board. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was impossible to sit on the same board with Russia. Zelensky had asked Trump for help on air security. Saying that the meeting with Zelensky was substantive and fruitful, Trump insisted that the Russia-Ukraine war must end now. He intended to provide weapons and air defense systems if the war was assured.