(2011-01-31) Robb Khanna Neo Feudalism Davos

John Robb notes Parag Khanna's prediction of Neo-FeudalIsm. What did diplomacy look like in the Middle Ages? First, it was characterized by complex multi-level relations: the Pope and his emissaries, Germanic duchies and vassal territories, Italian City State-s like Milan and Venice, and great universities from Oxford to Bologna. Second, it was informal. For most of history, the chief criteria for diplomatic inclusion have been status and prestige, not legal sovereignty—which only came into being in the 17th century.

Robb doesn't have Khanna's happy view of Davos. Davos is an important gathering. What they do there does have an impact on our future. However, given its provenance, the chance that it will have a beneficial impact on our future is close to nil/zero/nada.