Bilderbergers and
the Ugly Truth: There's No One in Control
"The
whole hullabaloo surrounding the conference probably serves to reinforce in
Bilderbergers themselves the belief that they are incredibly influential. Perhaps
they really do believe that they are the great creators of political and
economic policy, maybe even of history. The frustrating truth is that even
these people have only the slightest effect on the course of events."
Conspiracy theories have long
surrounded the clandestine meetings of influential economic, political, military
and aristocratic individuals. Beginning on Thursday, the Bilderberg conference is
taking place in Switzerland. Oh my - what a serious threat!
The Bilderberg conference
brings joy to all. This year, the meeting of the political, economic, military,
media, and aristocratic powerful is taking place from June 9th to June 12th at
Suvretta House, a luxury hotel in St. Moritz. The conference is a feeding
frenzy - especially for conspiracy theorists. They see behind the secret
meeting the gathering of an unelected world government. This notion is particularly
popular with those who have difficulty finding targets for their frustration over
the world's many injustices. If the Bilderbergers really do have such
immense power - so the simple logic goes - then they must also be responsible
for all of the world’s ills.
The media also have their fun
- as the influential always provide headlines. And when it isn't even known who
is actually there and journalists and photographers are excluded, the situation
gets particularly interesting. We’re all acquainted with the subjects discussed
by the influential at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and we’re not particularly
riveted by them. But it's quite a different story when it comes to suspected or
even known meetings that occur behind closed doors. Since the imagination knows
no bounds, what’s discussed in that situation is much more interesting, precisely
because we know nothing about it. And at the Bilderberg conference, everything
takes place behind closed doors.
VIDEO: A conspiratorial
history of the Bilderbergers.
Only the names of the
steering committee members are known. These include Swiss citizens Josef Ackermann, CEO of
Deutsche Bank, and Daniel
Vasella, chairman of the board of Novartis. And at each such conference, a
member of the host country’s government may also participate. This time, it
will be Federal Counselor Doris
Leuthard. From past meetings, we also know that current, former, and future
heads of state attend, and that large companies are represented by their top
managers. Even Christoph
Blocher has attended. But compared to the World Economic Forum, the
Bilderberg conference is much smaller. There may be little more than 100
participants. The conference was founded by Dutch
Prince Bernhard. The Bilderberg Hotel - hence the name - in Oosterbeek, The
Netherlands, was the site of the first conference in 1954.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
The whole hullabaloo
surrounding the conference probably serves to reinforce in Bilderbergers themselves
in the belief that they are incredibly influential. Perhaps they really do
believe that they are the great creators of political and economic policy, maybe
even of history. The frustrating truth is that even these people have only the
slightest effect on the course of events, at least in the way they intend to. That's
frustrating, because it ruins any hope of being able to get a handle on the
development of markets, societies, or ultimately, history. If the current power
elite get it wrong, then there should at least be even more powerful
individuals able to set things right. But if there really is no one capable of
doing so, then there's really nothing to support or protect us. Such is the
source of the passionate love/hate relationship with these conferences. They convey
a sense of security.
The comforting illusion of power
But this sense of security
has another source: If all that happens in the world can ultimately be traced
back to the dispassionate interests of a few people, then we need not be
alarmed by developments that benefit no one - that are driven by irrational
hatred or all types of mass undirected hysteria. If the interests of a few
individuals are behind events, we can analyze them, draw conclusions, and make
assumptions about future developments and position ourselves accordingly. Unfortunately,
this also tends to fail, as future developments are for the most part uncertain.
A look at the real world out
there ought to make that very clear. Even the most powerful bankers were surprised
and shocked by the financial crisis two years ago. They proved quite incapable
of even understanding their own industry. In the current European market crisis,
policy is obviously struggling catch up with developments and is incapable of bringing
the crisis under control. And who predicted developments in North Africa? Who
can say what their outcome might be? Powerful business leaders quickly become
powerless when innovations make their products obsolete or too expensive. Politicians
who fail to perceive the mood of the people lose their place at the helm. The seemingly
most powerful individuals are shaped by rather than shaping the processes on
the markets and in society.
Group-think as the only risk
And therein lays the real purpose
of such meetings: It’s not about a secret world government coming to an
agreement, but about a mutual exchange that leads to a better understanding of
what’s happening out there. Of course, it’s possible that a particular type of
group-think asserts itself in discussions among individuals with a relatively
high standard of living, which leads to patterns of explanation that in the end
prove particularly unsuitable. That is the only danger.
