George Soros, a proponent of international collaboration, stated during his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos that India has had the "largest and most devastating setback."

Indian nationalism is growing at a terrifying rate, according to billionaire George Soros at Davos.

George Soros, a proponent of international collaboration, stated during his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos that India has had the "largest and most devastating setback."

The development of nationalism, which billionaire American philanthropist George Soros referred to as the "chief nemesis" of an open society, was illustrated with reference to India on Thursday. An supporter for international cooperation, Soros stated during his speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos that India has had the "largest and most terrible setback."

 

"The biggest and most terrifying setback came in India where a democratically elected Narendra Modi is constructing a Hindu nationalist state, putting punitive measures on Kashmir, a semi-autonomous Muslim territory, and threatening to revoke citizenship for millions of Muslims," he stated.

According to Soros, the twin problems of open societies and climate change are "threaten[ing] the existence of our civilisation" at this "transformational juncture" in history.

In his opinion, politicians who "abuse" the situation for their own gain are responding to these issues in a way that is "unlikely to correspond to people's expectations" and has already led to "widespread disillusionment."

"There are also reasons to believe that open societies will survive. They have flaws, but so do authoritarian governments. The greatest weakness of dictatorships is their inability to know when or how to cease being oppressive once they are prosperous. The checks and balances that give democracies some degree of stability are absent from them. The result is an uprising of the oppressed. All around the world, we see this happening right now," Soros stated.

 

"It's not an exaggeration to suggest that 2020 and the following few years will determine not only the fate of Xi and Trump, but also the fate of the planet," the Hungarian-American added. "Considering the climate emergency  and global turmoil."

Open Society University Network (OSUN), a global educational network for teaching and research, will be established thanks to a $1 billion donation from Soros. The goal is to provide high-quality education that "reinforces the autonomy of the individual by promoting critical thinking and prioritising academic freedom," according to Soros' long-term approach.