Qatar Debate Center, The New York Times Collaborate for Fourth Davos Debates

Davos Debates

Qatar Debate Center, affiliated with Qatar Foundation for Education, Research, and Community Development (QF), in collaboration with The New York Times and alongside the World Economic Forum, organized the fourth edition of the Davos Debates. The event featured International President of The New York Times Stephen Johnson and Abdulrahman Al Subaie, Director of Program Management at QatarDebate Center.

In his speech during the opening ceremony, Al Subaie expressed his pride in the continuous cooperation with the New York Times, praising its role in supporting constructive dialogue.

He said that QatarDebate Center in Davos is celebrating the fourth edition of the partnership with the New York Times to host this debate, adding that dialogue is a fundamental pillar for exchanging ideas and building bridges of cooperation between cultures and generations.

He stressed that this edition is characterized by the participation of a group of experts and specialists, which makes it a unique platform to discuss global issues and put forward innovative solutions, confirming commitment to promote high-quality dialogue that supports a deep understanding of international challenges.

The discussion focused on the global leadership of the United States, including its ability to maintain its leadership role in light of geopolitical and environmental transformations, its role as a defender of democracy and human rights, its future as a superpower in light of current challenges and the possibility of the emergence of leadership alternatives that contribute to achieving global balance.

The event witnessed the participation of a group of decision-makers and international experts, where the discussion was moderated by climate management correspondent at the New York Times David Giles, and head of the International section of the newspaper Stephen Dunbar-Johnson.

The jury featured eminent personalities, including climate activist and president of the Association of Fulani Women and Indigenous Peoples Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, editor-in-chief of De-vex and an expert on international business Raj Kumar, and president of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Michael Froman.

Opinions were mixed between supporters and opponents of the continuation of American leadership. The supporting team, which included prominent figures such as CEO of BSR Aron Cramer, the risk management consultant Ashley Hunter, the executive director of Human Rights Watch Tirana Hassan, and the climate activist Luisa Neubauer, stressed that the United States still has the qualifications to maintain its global leadership, noting its importance in addressing global challenges, such as climate change, counter terrorism, and the stability of the international system.

In contrast, the opposing team, which included Secretary General of Amnesty International Agnès Callamard, former Special Adviser to outgoing US President Joe Biden Jeff Nussbaum, president of Dartmouth University Sian Leah Beilock, and founder and director of the Oy? Institute Kamila Camilo, considered that the American leadership has lost a lot of credibility as a result of its failures to adhere to the values it claims to defend, such as democracy and Human Rights.

The team pointed out that the internal and foreign policies of the United States have weakened international confidence in it, which necessitates giving the opportunity to other countries more compatible with the current challenges to provide leadership alternatives that enhance the global balance.

QatarDebate Center continues its efforts to promote a culture of dialogue through innovative platforms that contribute to the development of strategic thinking and creative solutions to future challenges. These platforms include Doha Forum-Youth Edition, Youth Summit, and Oasis of Dialogue.

(QNA)