Building a shared future is right remedy for world's ills

It is no coincidence that both Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau devoted their opening speeches at this year's World Economic Forum to the safeguarding of free trade, and that the theme for the gathering is "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World".

While plenty of common concerns have been brought to the fore at the annual get-together in Davos, from sexual harassment to terrorism to economic inequality, Modi, Trudeau and the Davos organizers revealed the simple truth that much of the rest of the world is keenly feeling the same worries President Xi Jinping expressed at last year's event when he delivered a resounding pro-globalization speech.

"Many societies and countries are becoming more and more focused on themselves," Modi said on Tuesday. "The negative impact of this kind of mindset and wrong priorities cannot be considered less dangerous than climate change or terrorism."