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by This week’s gathering of G7 leaders in Italy was less of a glorious display of Western power and more of a desperate show of dwindling political authority.
Founder & Chair, IFPP
Fasano, Italy – The once most powerful grouping of nations labeled as the 'West' bore the hallmarks of a desperate bunch this year. The G7 2024 in Italy marked the 50th summit with critical agendas on the table: Ukraine, Russia, and China. While they delivered a unified front (in the end), and protected Western interests, their leaders' crumbling political power was on full display.
What is being called the 'weakest gathering of leaders the group has mustered for years', the G7 struggled to push through important agendas, including the massive $50B loan to Ukraine which it desperately needs.
Trouble at Home
Six of the seven G7 leaders are facing uncertain political futures. With a hazy future, they were hesitant to overpromise or harm their electoral fortunes with a weak response.
America's Biden is facing a tough electoral race from ex-President Trump, who has been critical of the USA's multilateral agreements in the past and withdrew from key agreements like the Paris Agreement and the Iran Deal, making Biden unwilling (yet desperate) to push through key agendas just in case Trump comes to power.
A Trump-led America will most likely be isolationist, which will prompt more aggression from Russia and China, something disastrous for the European allies, and a bleak prospect for the group.
In Canada, Trudeau, who once dreamed of leading the G7, is lagging behind his conservative opposition, and will most likely not return to office. Both France's Macron and the UK's Sunak are facing snap elections, and polls don't show a favorable future.
In Germany, Scholz is in trouble as far-right parties make headway in the European Parliament. Last is Japan's Kishida, the once-popular leader, who is facing tough political troubles back home.
The only leader with good political authority at the Summit was Italy's Meloni, who is winning elections after elections. Her far-right party, Brothers of Italy, gained more power in the recent European election. Serving as a secure host, Meloni secured wins for her agendas, including making headway for Italy to be the next key investor in Africa via the Mattei Plan.
She is also the reason behind a key agenda being missing from this year’s final communique: “abortion” – a likely win for Meloni’s far-right party which opposes it. By contrast, the final statement of last year’s summit in Japan specifically called for “access to safe and legal abortion”. This year, the document states only “comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.”
Meloni has maneuvered well to score points on global politics as well as domestic agendas. Once called a danger to Europe, she is happily riding the far-right wave – a much bigger threat – to stay in power.
Ukraine and $50B loan that nobody wanted to take
On the eve of the summit, Biden proposed a deal to get much-needed funds for Ukraine to fight a now three-year war with Russia. By using the interest accumulated over the Russian assets frozen last year, America pushed to give Zelensky a massive loan. The main point: the US didn't want to take responsibility, and the EU wasn't having it.
Biden's reasoning was a US loan would require Congress approval, and Republicans might stall it till after the elections this November. And if Trump returns to Office, he might not give any more aid at all. And regardless of the outcome, a presidential campaign reaching its democracy-altering climax won’t be a favorable moment to strike multilateral deals with America. Europe had similar reasons, and the deal was strongly opposed.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend a session on Africa, climate change and development on the first day of the G7 summit at the Borgo Egnazia resort, in Savelletri, Italy, June 13, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi
In the end, the G7 pushed it through, presenting a united front against Russian aggression, and aiding Ukraine. Biden had already promised more arms before the Summit, and while this loan will reach Ukraine almost at the end of this year, Zelensky is thankful he's getting any aid at all.
"The loan of about 50 billion has already been announced (and will) be provided by the United States, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and probably Japan, within the limits of its constitutional constraints," Meloni told a news conference. "Currently, European nations are not involved in this loan, also considering the fact that the assets are all mobilized in Europe."
China and a strenuous future with the EU
Another sign of (desperate, yet effective) unity was in response to China, when in an unprecedented move this week, the European Union hit China with tariffs up to almost 50 percent on Chinese electric vehicles, marking a big change in its trade policy. The EU has been less forward than the US towards China, so this move is quite significant for EU-China relations.
Demonstrating their unity on this subject, the G7 leaders expressed their concerns about “China’s persistent industrial targeting and comprehensive non-market policies and practices that are leading to global spillovers, market distortions and harmful overcapacity in a growing range of sectors, undermining our workers, industries, and economic resilience and security” in a final statement issued by all G7 governments at the end of the summit.
Gaza and the G7's underwhelming response
With heightened international outrage over Palestinian deaths in Gaza after Israel's invasion of Rafah, the G7 once more gave an underwhelming response. Biden, ahead of the summit, outlined a ceasefire solution stressing once again the group’s support for a two-state solution, including the recognition of a Palestinian state “at the appropriate time”.
The group has been accused of 'double standards' with its response to Israel and Russia, and in the former's case, the G7 stopped short of condemning Israel for its conduct in the war, labeled a 'genocide' the world over. There have been reports that Canada and France pushed for stronger language about Israel’s actions in Gaza, but Biden and Scholz opposed it.
Once more, western interests triumph over international law and order.
All in all, the G7 managed to pull through and display unity. What is yet to be seen is whether we will see the same desperation in the next summit, when the majority of this year's leaders will most likely not return and with far more dangerous concerns at hand.
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