Dick Cheney to take the dais at GBS 2017

MUMBAI: India Inc’s biggest CEO gathering is just around the corner. After the resounding success of the last two editions, a bigger and bolder version of the Global Business Summit ( GBS) will be presented by YES Bank and The Economic Times on March 27 and 28 in New Delhi.

Dick Cheney, the 46th Vice-President of the United States will take centre stage as the keynote speaker at the GBS on Monday, March 27. Among other top-ranking global speakers, Cheney will provide a ringside view of politics on the Hill, particularly at a time when ‘Trump-gazing’ is the new adjective in town.

A six-term veteran in the House, Richard Bruce ‘Dick’ Cheney served four Republican presidents.

Full Coverage: ET Global Business Summit 2017

Though he was Chief of Staff of the Gerald Ford White House as early as 1976, his most memorable stint at the top was as Vice President to George W Bush in 2000 — when he articulated military and national security issues at the highest levels. The ‘Veep’ also understood the intricacies of business, having helmed the $32.87-billion Halliburton.

An astute politician with a deep understanding of the functions and nuances of the US federal government, he actively promoted the expansion of the powers of the presidency.

So the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Presidential Records Act, the Freedom of Information Act and the War Powers Resolution are, in Cheney's words, “a restoration, if you will, of the power and authority of the president”.

Until now, the US has led the charge on globalisation, but with Trump at the helm, steps like withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, curbs on legal immigration, and a possible trade face off with China could have major implications for global trade.

Cheney has been characterised as the most powerful and influential Vice-President in history — who better to decipher post-Trump America, its policies and what they mean to the world.