Hold a secret meeting of elites who invite conspiracy theories

On Thursday (30/05), perhaps the most clandestine and most controversial organization in the world - the Bilderberg Group - will kick off a four-day closed-door meeting at a luxury resort in Montreux, Switzerland.

About 130 political elites and senior figures from industry, finance, academia, labor and media were invited.

No matter which newspapers you read, TV channels you watch, or social media timelines you follow, you will not read reports from any journalists from inside the conference - all of which are banned.

Global elite
American guests alone include President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, billionaire Paypal founder Peter Thiel and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

The participants from other countries are equally famous.

And who are invited every year are not only those who have been at the top, but also those who are rising.

When Bill Clinton arrived in 1991, it was not even clear then whether he would win the Democratic nomination for the presidential election the following year, let alone replace George H.W. Bush at the White House.

Tony Blair arrived in 1993, he did not become leader of the Labor party the following year after John Smith's death, and was elected prime minister of Britain three years later.

Diplomacy or conspiracy?

But is the Bilderberg Group simply an opportunity for the world's elites to talk to one another in a private and casual manner, or is this, as its biggest critics claim, a covert cabal seeking to undermine global democracy?

Conspiracy theorists, who hold the second view, accuse the Bilderberg Group of everything from deliberately creating a financial crisis to plotting to kill 80% of the world's population.

United States radio talk show host Alex Jones, notorious for his gibberish, has denounced this meeting over a megaphone: "We know you are cruel. We know you are evil. We respect your dark powers."

From the ashes of war
Given the long and mysterious history of the Bilderberg Group, it seems natural that it attracts a lot of ridiculous accusations.

The first meeting was held in 1954, with the aim of strengthening the US and Europe and preventing global conflict from recurring after World War II.

His method of work is always confidential.

No journalists were invited, no press releases were sent after the meeting ended, and the organization maintains only a website with makeshift information that appears to have been designed in the '90s. After the meetings conclude and the organization maintains only a bare bones website which looks like it was designed in the 1990s.

Just a hangout place?

But while the Bilderberg Group looks like the exclusive club for the baddies in the James Bond story, more mainstream observers say it's not as bad as it seems.

David Aaronovitch, a columnist for Britain's The Times newspaper, says the fuss over Bilderberg is ridiculous.

"It's actually just an occasional banquet club for the rich and powerful," he said.

Things that, according to some, benefit all of us ..

Denis Healey, who was co-founder of the group and British finance minister in the 1970s, told journalist Jon Ronson in his book Them that people ignore the practical benefits of informal networking.

"The Bilderberg is the most useful international group I have attended," he said.

"Confidentiality allows people to speak honestly without fear of repercussions."

Supporters of the Bilderberg Group say secrecy allows people to honestly tell the truth against one another, without worrying about how what they say will impact politically or how it will be 'fried' by the media.

Real power
But that doesn't mean they aren't in power.

Conspiracy theorists may be overzealous, but they have a point, says Professor Andrew Kakabadse, co-author of the book Bilderberg People.

The group holds real powers that far exceed the World Economic Forum, which holds regular meetings in Davos, he said. And without transparency, it's easy to understand why people worry about its influence.

"This is much smarter than a conspiracy," said Prof. Kakabadse. "It shapes the way people think so that there seems to be no alternative to what's going on."

The group's agenda is to unite political elites on the right and left, letting them mingle in a relaxed and luxurious environment with business leaders and discuss ideas.

This may sound like an exaggerated dinner party, but that's not the point.

"If you come to dinner parties often enough, you see a theme emerge," he said.

The theme at Bilderberg is supporting the consensus on free market Western capitalism and its interests around the world, he said.

"Does this all lead to the beginning of the idea of ​​world domination? In a sense, yes. There are very strong moves to bring about World Government in the free-market mold of Western capitalism."

Fear

James McConnachie, co-author of Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories, says the secretive nature of such groups allows protesters to project their own fears onto them.

In the US, the most extreme fear of the Bilderberg Group is fear of a cabal run by the European Union and threatening American freedom.

In Europe, the view is often of a free market elite trying to advance their right-wing agenda.

The conventional criticism of alienated people seeking some sort of order in a chaotic world may be correct. But there is more to it than that, according to McConnachie.

"The other explanation is more dangerous. That they are right - they are just over-articulating it."

The Bilderberg Group fits well with how a global conspiracy works - a secret society that seeks to set the direction of the world, he argues.

"The only difference is the crime rate," he said. "They tend to see this secret gang as overt crimes. But the reality is more nuanced than that."

For all these extreme tales of shadowy groups that rule the world, which sometimes turn to extremes into thick, baseless anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jews, we all owe a few conspiracy theorists, according to McConnachie.

"Sometimes you have to praise conspiracy theorists who raise issues that are ignored by the mainstream media. Only recently did the media cover the Bilderbergers (members of the Bilderberg Group). Would the media run the news if there weren't these wild accusations everywhere- where? "

Irrational

But Aaronovitch disagrees. The belief in the existence of a secret association causes certain groups to become victims and obstructs a rational world view.

"Having a strong belief in the Bilderberg Group means believing in fantasy," he said. "This shows that there are people - like God - who act as a higher power. And it replaces the intolerable thinking that nothing is working at all, that the world is chaotic".

"It may be some form of therapy, but it makes people believe in an anti-scientific message."