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IAN BREMMER: THE DAVOS GIFT BASKET INCLUDED THE 'MOST POLITICALLY CONTROVERSIAL GIFT I EVER RECEIVED'
Business Insider
Jan 27 2012
Sam Ro
http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-the-davos-gift-basket-included-the-most-politically-controversial-gift-i-ever-received-2012-1
Business Insider
Ian Bremmer, Founder and President of the Eurasia Group, is one of
the leading authorities in geopolitical risk. He is also one of the
many thought-leaders attending the World Economic Forum's gathering
in Davos, Switzerland.
But, it also seems that Bremmer can't help but notice the political
implications of everything he sees.
When he first checked into his hotel room in Davos, he noticed two
gift baskets.
One gift was a box of chocolates and a note from the CEO of Nestle.
Harmless and sweet.
The other wasn't as much a gift as it was an information packet. It
was a bag full of DVDs, post cards and a statement courtesy of the
Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is run by Azerbaijan's First Lady
Mehriban Aliyeva.
Sounds harmless, right?
Not really.
Leave it to Bremmer, a political risk expert, to call the bag
of freebies the "most politically controversial gift" he had ever
received. The bag included a statement regarding the Garabagh region
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Bremmer described it as "delivered
from a starkly one-sided point of view." Here's an excerpt of what
the statement said (h/t Ian Bremmer via ForeignPolicy.com):
Unfortunately the conflict ignited as a result of unfair territorial
claims brought against Azerbaijan. The occupation by Armenian invaders
of Garabagh... [has] turned the bright representatives of the Mugham
art into internally displaced people... grief, sorrow, and melancholy
is being felt today in their performance.
And here's Bremmer's take:
The package was giftwrapped in cellophane, so it was sure to be missed
by any personnel intent on keeping such subjective perspective out of
the hotel rooms. You have to hand it to this Azeri organization for
so craftily injecting their thoughts into the summit. The takeaway:
Davos truly is the biggest annual global political event - and you
can't underestimate how far actors will go to get their message heard
on the global stage.
Not many people are familiar with the history between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. So, it would actually make perfect sense that they are
out trying to raise awareness.
Business Insider's editor-in-chief Henry Blodget is at the World
Economic Forum now. Earlier this week, he published photos of
Azerbaijan's gift to the attendees.
Admittedly, we did not appreciate the full significance of the gift.
Indeed, when our famished Henry first arrived in Davos, he tore through
the gift to find a series of packages that resembled exotic boxes of
chocolates, including one box with the word "fondu" on it.
Click Here For Our Pictures Of Azerbaijan's Controversial Gift:
http://www.businessinsider.com/unboxing-azerbaijans-gift-for-the-people-of-davos-2012-1
Business Insider
Jan 27 2012
Sam Ro
http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-the-davos-gift-basket-included-the-most-politically-controversial-gift-i-ever-received-2012-1
Business Insider
Ian Bremmer, Founder and President of the Eurasia Group, is one of
the leading authorities in geopolitical risk. He is also one of the
many thought-leaders attending the World Economic Forum's gathering
in Davos, Switzerland.
But, it also seems that Bremmer can't help but notice the political
implications of everything he sees.
When he first checked into his hotel room in Davos, he noticed two
gift baskets.
One gift was a box of chocolates and a note from the CEO of Nestle.
Harmless and sweet.
The other wasn't as much a gift as it was an information packet. It
was a bag full of DVDs, post cards and a statement courtesy of the
Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is run by Azerbaijan's First Lady
Mehriban Aliyeva.
Sounds harmless, right?
Not really.
Leave it to Bremmer, a political risk expert, to call the bag
of freebies the "most politically controversial gift" he had ever
received. The bag included a statement regarding the Garabagh region
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Bremmer described it as "delivered
from a starkly one-sided point of view." Here's an excerpt of what
the statement said (h/t Ian Bremmer via ForeignPolicy.com):
Unfortunately the conflict ignited as a result of unfair territorial
claims brought against Azerbaijan. The occupation by Armenian invaders
of Garabagh... [has] turned the bright representatives of the Mugham
art into internally displaced people... grief, sorrow, and melancholy
is being felt today in their performance.
And here's Bremmer's take:
The package was giftwrapped in cellophane, so it was sure to be missed
by any personnel intent on keeping such subjective perspective out of
the hotel rooms. You have to hand it to this Azeri organization for
so craftily injecting their thoughts into the summit. The takeaway:
Davos truly is the biggest annual global political event - and you
can't underestimate how far actors will go to get their message heard
on the global stage.
Not many people are familiar with the history between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. So, it would actually make perfect sense that they are
out trying to raise awareness.
Business Insider's editor-in-chief Henry Blodget is at the World
Economic Forum now. Earlier this week, he published photos of
Azerbaijan's gift to the attendees.
Admittedly, we did not appreciate the full significance of the gift.
Indeed, when our famished Henry first arrived in Davos, he tore through
the gift to find a series of packages that resembled exotic boxes of
chocolates, including one box with the word "fondu" on it.
Click Here For Our Pictures Of Azerbaijan's Controversial Gift:
http://www.businessinsider.com/unboxing-azerbaijans-gift-for-the-people-of-davos-2012-1