The second WORLD.MINDS conference took place at the Axel Springer headquarters in Berlin this week, bringing together 150 prominent figures from politics, science, and economy. Those attending the convening examined questions such as how can the war in Ukraine come to an end? What support should the West provide? How can reconstruction succeed? Are Asia’s economic powers increasingly outpacing Europe? Etc.
Discussions were lively and partly controversial, taking place under Chatham House Rules and including speakers such as:
- Ben Hodges – Former General of the US Army
- Marco Buschmann – Federal Minister of Justice
- Jörg Kukies – State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery
- Alexander Gabuev – Director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Samir Saran – President of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
- Jamil Anderlini – Editor in Chief of POLITICO Europe
One key insight that emerged was that Europe will gain influence on the international stage only when its economy grows stronger, and the best way for it to grow is through technology. Respectively, technological progress contributes significantly to geopolitical influence. With its current skepticism towards growth and technology, Europe may lose opportunities for shaping its future.
“Axel Springer has proven to be a valuable and constructive shareholder of WORLD.MINDS,” said Rolf Dobelli, Founder of WORLD.MINDS. “Together, we have internationalized our community and offerings over the past year and a half. A part of this is our step into Germany. An exclusive dinner in the US will follow shortly. I am pleased that today we were able to build upon the successful launch of our Berlin dialogue format. In a constantly changing geopolitical world, international and interdisciplinary exchange is indispensable. It is up to us, through joint efforts, to harness the immense potentials of our time. Technological progress and scientific knowledge can positively influence the future of all of us if we understand how to harness them properly.”
You can find out more about the convening here.