Without stricter oversight, America could begin to look as unrecognizable as Europe

Photo: AP Images

Since 1971, the World Economic Forum has marketed its annual conference in Davos, Switzerland, as an elite, can’t-miss networking event for politicians and business leaders. In recent years, critics have contended that the event in the Swiss Alps has lost relevance in a world where elites grow richer, leaving the average citizen at the bottom of the slopes.

The event regained relevance in style last week, with the focus on the topic du jour — artificial intelligence — as America’s efforts to pry Greenland from Denmark and the pushback from other NATO countries took center stage.

Was it mere liberal hand-wringing? Or was Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney making a true confession when he warned his audience that “the old world order had ruptured”? He added that “we knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false,” and cautioned that we must “stop invoking it as though it still functions as advertised.”

Israel would undoubtedly agree with Carney’s statement — which amounts to an admission of hypocrisy — that “we knew that international law applied with varying rigor depending on the identity of the accused or the victim.”

Carney was targeting President Trump, whom he considers the world’s Rupturer-in-Chief, when he condemned great powers that use economic leverage, including tariffs, to impose their will on other nations.

Trump rebutted Carney the next day, saying Canadians should be grateful for all the “freebies” the US gives them. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements,” Trump added.

Trump zoomed in on why his quest to pry Greenland from Denmark serves global interests, not just America’s, and pushed back on NATO’s pushback, noting that certain places in Europe are now unrecognizable due to unrestrained immigration.

While highlighting the obvious, Trump is skating on thin ice here, as the United States faces its own demographic and internal political challenges. These changes are not rendering the US unrecognizable, but they are unmistakable. America cannot afford to be smug about it.

The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) released a study exposing the Muslim Brotherhood’s multigenerational campaign to exploit democratic freedoms and institutions for antidemocratic goals. ISGAP used the Arabic word tamkeen, which means empowerment or enablement, to describe how the Brotherhood established community groups, schools, charities, and advocacy networks to promote its ideology to policymakers and the media. The Trump administration just designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization last week, but it’s probably too little, too late, considering the deep roots they’ve planted nationwide.

Jonathan Conricus, a retired IDF lieutenant colonel and a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who defended Israel in various forums throughout the Gaza War, doesn’t mince words. “Listen carefully to what Islamists say in their own rallies and mosques,” said Conricus. “They are not shy. They boast of taking over Western institutions from the bottom up, and view liberal tolerance as a weakness they can exploit. The same ideology that sent Hamas terrorists across Israel’s border on October 7 now works methodically to seize student unions, civil-society groups, and local councils across Europe and North America.”

Georgetown University is the latest domino to topple, according to a new Middle East Forum (MEF) report detailing how the Qatar Foundation has invested more than $971 million in Georgetown over 20 years, with coursework and research showing a growing ideological drift toward anti-Western critiques and anti-Israel advocacy among students and faculty. Georgetown is influential, having produced two presidents and two Supreme Court justices, more than 116 members of Congress, and more than 90 ambassadors.

While some might argue that Israel also has a powerful D.C. lobby, its Middle East rivals dwarf it. OpenSecrets, a research group that follows the money from foreign agents who file with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), reported that from 2016 to 2025, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE together outspent Israel, $850 million to $195 million, on influencing policy and public opinion and promoting trade and tourism. China, America’s biggest rival, is the biggest spender, investing $521 million in the US since 2016.

Attracting foreign investment for economic growth is reasonable. Allowing adversaries to buy unchecked influence is dangerous. Without stricter oversight, America could begin to look as unrecognizable as Europe.

Israel Also Has Money

Reactions to the Gaza rebuilding plans Jared Kushner unveiled in Davos range from skeptical to enraged to cynical. Some argue that Trump’s pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize and Kushner’s and Witkoff’s business interests in the Arab world are driving these plans.

Others blame Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government for failing to develop a “day after” plan for Gaza, allowing Trump to take the initiative.

These reactions are fair. While Gaza’s future remains uncertain, Israel can learn from Kushner’s ideas and use its resources to create new opportunities for citizens and make Israel a more welcoming home for Jews looking to make aliyah or establish a presence in Israel.

The Bank of Israel reports that Israelis hold about NIS 7 trillion ($2.2 trillion) in assets managed by the investment community and individuals.

The government, banks, and investors should collaborate to form a consortium that prioritizes postwar reconstruction and expansion in Israel, building transportation and infrastructure, investing in housing, public services, high-tech, manufacturing, and agriculture — structured to benefit both intermediate- and long-term investors.

If even 10% of public assets — around $220 billion — were pooled, such an investment could be desirable and competitive, given Israel’s stability and strong economy, compared with Gaza’s uncertainties.

Interested in participating?

Playing the Percentages

Of the first 20 countries to sign President Trump’s Board of Peace charter in Davos, four — representing 20% — do not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel. These nations are Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Does their involvement call into question the charter’s credibility or the seriousness of its peace-building aims? Should Trump have required the establishment of official ties with Israel as a condition for membership?

A Baby Boomer at 80

America’s “baby boom” officially began in 1946, a year after World War II ended, which means the first baby boomers will turn 80 in 2026. Richard Fry, a senior researcher at Pew Research Center, says that the most recent data show that about 67 million boomers are still alive, about 20% of the US population.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1097)