Davos, Switzerland ? The United States was in the hot seat at Thursday’s gathering of the world’s business and political leaders, criticized for a go-it-alone foreign policy that many fear will lead to war with Iraq and for a sluggish economy hampering a global revival.

The issue of growing U.S. threats against Iraq dominated early sessions and corridor conversations at the World Economic Forum, whose theme this year is “Building Trust.”

Swiss President Pascal Couchepin was cheered during his opening speech, when he called for all peaceful means to be pursued to disarm Iraq and warned that “force must not be used before the matter has been brought before the U.N. Security Council.”

The forum returned to its home in this Swiss Alpine playground after last year’s meeting was moved to New York in tribute to victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

But a year of corporate scandals, executive sackings and turbulent markets, coupled with the threat of terrorism, cast a pall over this year’s meetings.

About 2,300 participants are expected for the six-day session — down from 3,200 two years ago. About two dozen heads of state and government signed up, down from more than 30 in 2001.

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, leader of a major Islamic nation, went further than Couchepin in his opening address and got an equally resounding reception from more than 800 invited guests.

“The forces against the ‘axis of evil’ are not going to win because the target is wrong. It will create more anger,” he warned, referring to President Bush’s denunciation a year ago of an “axis of evil” comprising Iran, Iraq and North Korea.