Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may have marked the beginning of a “third world war” and Russian President Vladimir Putin must be defeated “as soon as possible” if the world is to preserve civilization.
That was the harsh message delivered by Hungarian-born billionaire and philanthropist George Soros on Tuesday to attendees at the 2022 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Even when the fighting stops, as is the case, the situation will never return” to where it was before, warned Soros, 91.
“Other issues that concern all of humanity – the fight against pandemics and climate change, avoiding nuclear war, maintaining global institutions – have had to take a back seat to this fight. That’s why I say that civilization may not survive. “
The former hedge fund manager, who is president of Soros Fund Management LLC and founder of Open Society Foundations, is famous for using his wealth to help foster open societies and create inclusive democracies with responsible governments.
But after the September 11 events, he noted, the tide began to turn against open societies. As a result, “repressive regimes are on the rise and open societies are under siege,” he said on Tuesday. “Today, China and Russia pose the greatest threat to open society.”
Open societies have governments diametrically opposed to the governments of closed societies, Soros noted. “[In an] open society, the rule of the state is to protect the freedom of the individual. [In a] closed society, the role of the individual is to serve the rulers of the state. “
Speaking of Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Soros said, “They rule by intimidation and, as a result, make mind-boggling mistakes.”
He pointed to China and Russia as the biggest threats to open societies with the help of the development of digital technologies and especially artificial intelligence. “In theory, AI should be politically neutral: it can be used for good or for evil. But in practice the effect has been asymmetric. It is especially good for creating control instruments that help repressive regimes and endanger open society “, Soros. dit.
The billionaire also criticized China’s “zero Covid” blockade policy, saying it has had “disastrous consequences, pushing the Chinese economy into a free fall since March”, with “negative results” for the global economy. .
In a more encouraging but still grim way, he congratulated Ukraine on fighting for the values of the Western world.
“I believe that today Ukraine is providing an extraordinary service to Europe and the Western world and to the open society and our survival because they are fighting against our struggle,” Soros said. “They have a very good chance of winning …[W]We have to give them all the support they need. “