Insights from the G7 Summit - Balancing Power, Politics, and Global Priorities

Analysis

Submitted by: Harshita Khaund

 With the final echoes of discourse reverberating across the Apulia region of Italy, the curtains came to a close on the annual G7 summit of 2024 held between June 13 to June 15 which brought together global leaders to discuss a multi-faceted agenda bearing profound consequences for the larger chessboard of geopolitics. The summit, attended by the leaders of the Group of 7 countries, was enriched by the participation of several outreach countries. These countries played a crucial role in shaping consensus for the agenda, fostering inclusivity in what would otherwise be perceived as a gathering dominated by a select group of Western powers.

The impending global challenges encompassing the Russian-Ukrainian border and the intensified Israeli-Palestinian conflicts have led to widespread unrest and expressions of discontent, against the backdrop of seemingly inert responses from leading global powers. Consequently, the upcoming summit is tasked with the formidable mission of reconciling divergent expectations and projecting a façade of harmony, despite the internal predicaments faced by key summit participants and their uncertain electoral prospects. In recent years, doubts have been raised regarding the relevance of this summit, primarily due to its focus on Atlantic interests, while alternative multilateral assemblies such as the G20, characterized by greater representation from the Global South, garner increasing acknowledgement.

Nevertheless, the final communique presented by the leaders on June 14  displayed a renewed sense of purpose in its commitment towards “enduring unity and determination to meet global challenges”. The summit, known for its collaboration among like-minded nations, restated the democratic principles guiding free domestic societies and a rule-based international order that advances a variety of global interests in opposition to their designated 'hostile adversaries', primarily Russia and China. The agenda, designed to tackle a wide range of interconnected crises, also recognized a shift in global power dynamics, as evident in the resolutions of the official communication discussed in detail in this article.

Frontlines of Diplomacy: Ukraine and Gaza in Focus:-

What several scholars have described as an ‘unexpected solidarity’ stems from palpable anxiety over intractable wars across Europe and the Middle-East, with contestations in Asia fuelling fears of an imminent war. The resulting communique which emerged after a session on the Russia-Ukraine war was one of high-impact discussion which witnessed the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and revealed a solid plan for Western backing for Ukraine’s ongoing defence tactics amidst belligerent Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure. The proposal for a USD 50 billion loan to Ukraine leveraged on interests generated from immobilised Russian foreign assets drafted by the Biden administration was a clear signal of stepping up of Western efforts in ‘disarming and defunding’ Russia’s strategic advances. Along the sidelines of the summit, the leaders of the US and Ukraine signed a 10-year bilateral security arrangement, nudging a step closer towards the latter’s long-coveted NATO membership. The summit further marked a precedent for the Ukraine Peace Summit as initial European wobbling on prolonging the Ukraine war has largely given way to a consensus shaped by American interests of a united backing for Ukraine; a trend which has been solidified by the strong support of Italian PM Meloni, who is charting a new course of European politics as the “strongest government of all” in the face of an unparalleled right-wing swing in the European Parliament elections.

A cursory glance through the resolution on Israel and Gaza, an issue which has drawn deep divisions in the European continent, further revealed a passive endorsement of the US proposed three-phase ceasefire proposal which has called for a permanent ceasefire and the restoration of the Gaza strip. In their joint communique, the states reiterated their commitment towards a two-state solution as a ‘credible pathway towards peace’ and most vociferously called for Israel to release tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority which had been halted by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a bid to reroute it to Israeli victims of terrorism. In a statement decrying “any actions that weaken the Palestinian Authority”, it further expanded on the role of aid agencies, particularly the UNRWA, as bearing the right to work unhindered in the war-torn region. The strongest critique against Israeli actions was voiced by the Italian PM, whose claims of Israel falling into a trap laid by Hamas in its war against Gaza went beyond a mere restating of the Biden administration’s views on the subject.

Rethinking Security: Embracing Global Governance for Non-Traditional Threats:-

Concluding sessions were characterised by a shift in the locus of discussions towards non-traditional security threats which brings to the fore the necessity of collective global action within the overarching umbrella of a global governance system. Migration featured prominently in this regard, with a heightened emphasis on irregular migration and understanding its origin and transit. The joint statement embraced the idea of combining efforts to undertake efficient border management while curbing transnational organised crimes and creating “safe and regular pathways for migration”. The launching of a ‘coalition’ of investigative capacities of countries of origin, transit and destination was deemed imminent as part of a three-pronged approach towards tackling migration.

The UK’s Sunak and Italy’s Meloni, who have made splashing headlines in recent days for their migration policies, were particularly hard-pressed to find solutions aimed at “supporting sustainable reintegration efforts (of migrants) in their countries of origin”. While the former labelled the migrant crisis as a ‘global emergency’, the latter’s domestic policies view migration as a priority concern. Right-wing victories in the recent European Parliament elections have ensured that the humanitarianism versus securitisation of migrants debate settles firmly in favour of the latter, with Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party seeking developmental investments in Africa as part of the Mattei Plan in order to reduce migratory pressures on bordering European countries.

While migration marked its debut as a key focus of the agenda, persistent global challenges such as climate change invited further deliberation on achieving targets of net zero by 2050 with a pledge to phase out ‘unabated’ coal power generation by 2030. A concrete initiative in this regard is the commitment towards deploying 1500 GW of energy storage in the power sector by 2030 with the aim of phasing out coal power generation. However, the communique mimics past resolutions, especially in its leeway of allowing countries to instead phase out “in a timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5C temperature rise within reach”. While climate activists were quick to point out the toothlessness of the clause, what irked environmentalists further was the push towards public investments in natural gas in order to accelerate the process of cutting off from Russian imports of energy. Italian PM Meloni, whose government had voted against the European Green Deal, made a tactical redirection towards launching an “Energy for Growth in Africa” initiative instead as it actively champions the agenda of situating Italy as a clean energy bridge source between the European Union and Africa.

Amongst many other firsts, this G7 summit was also host to Pope Francis as the luminary figure of Christendom. Being the first pontiff to address a G7 gathering, his speech was marked by a doomsday account of the dangers of AI and its lack of ‘human compassion’. In his moral authority, he offered a human-centric take on the usage of artificial intelligence programs in order to prevent the onslaught of a reductionist reality of human relations becoming mere algorithms. While speaking on the moral quandaries surrounding human dignity in a digital space, he called for a ban on lethal autonomous weapons while propagating the message of proper human control and regulation of generative technologies.

Targeting Titans: G7's Focus on Russia and China :-

A careful dissection of evolving trends in G7 summits is revelative of the increasing crystallisation of views within the banner of American democratic-liberalism amongst Western countries, particularly over contentious issues of war and peace. And any ideological pathway must have a demonic adversary to contend with - which took the shape of Russia and China at this year’s discussions. As recently as June 12, the United States Treasury, State and Commerce departments have implemented its most wide-ranging sanctions since the start of the war, aimed at the Russian military industry, energy sector, and the disruption of technological links between Russia and external technology providers such as China, Turkey and the UAE. Britain also announced new sanctions aimed at destabilising Russia’s continued attempts at waging war, stating that President Putin ‘must lose’. In retaliation, Russia was quick to denounce the loan package sanctioned for Ukraine, calling it a ‘theft’ and ‘schemed appropriation’ of its frozen assets and vowing that “it will not go unpunished”.

But this summit also featured a new adversary in town. A New York Times report calculated the usage of the term ‘China’ throughout the proceedings of the summit, which revealed that the country was referenced a total of 28 times despite being absent and cast as an antagonistic global power. It reveals a stark contrast to China’s portrayal in past summits, which viewed China as a ‘partner’ in combating global ills including climate change, and nuclear proliferation, and most remuneratively, as a supplier and consumer of world products. The overt tone of hostility against Beijing, something which Europe has typically refrained from undertaking, seems to be aggrandised by China’s emergence as a supporter of ‘Russia’s War Machine’, in its alleged sponsorship of malicious cyber activities, its unimpeded militarisation of the East and South China seas and its restrictive human rights policies pronounced by increasing crackdowns on civil society institutions, particularly in Hong Kong.

The second day of the summit bore witness to a session on discouraging unfair market practices of China in a bid to protect domestic economies without inciting an outright trade war. The final communique spelled the “importance of China in global trade” without compromising the tenets of “free and fair trade, a level playing field and balanced economic relations” while reassuring that their intentions are not aimed at “thwarting (China’s) development”. Expressing concerns over China’s ‘industrial overcapacity’, the G7 rang alarm bells surrounding Chinese policy practices of providing generous subsidies to domestic producers, specifically for the green energy and technology sector, and its consequential market distortions. The specification came on the heels of an EU imposed tariff restriction of up to 38% against imported Chinese electric vehicles, with Washington setting the precedence through a levying of 100% tariffs on Chinese green tech imports. In line with official witness statements, it can be deduced that the stage is set for an increasingly confrontation twist to oscillating Western-Chinese relations.

Diverse Voices, United Goals: Global South Leaders at G7:-

Agreeing to any settlement concerning global predicaments cannot remain geographically isolated to a quadrant of the globe. In its global outlook, this summit threw its doors open to prominent political figures actively giving shape to a rising world order including the likes of the King of Jordan as well as the leaders of Ukraine, India, Brazil, Argentina, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania which presently holds the leadership of the African Union. When asked about the expanded guest list, Italian PM Meloni responded by insisting that the Group of 7 was “not a fortress closed in itself” but an “offer of values that we open to the world”.

A step in this direction was the inclusion of sustainable development and poverty eradication consultations in the presence of Multilateral Development Banks in order to amplify World Bank investments by USD 70 billion within the next decade. These efforts align with Kenyan President Ruto's reforms on international financial architecture aimed at fostering a culture of equity and inclusion through the provision of ‘concessional, long-term and agile finance’ with a developmental focus. The consensus built around an equitable, cross-continental partnership was rooted in Africa’s transition towards becoming an economic powerhub and the perceived urgency of security, infrastructure and economic productivity. The operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area thus lays out its goal as enhancing private investment and cooperation in the region, while the endorsement of the G20 Compact with Africa firmly cements its position in the bird’s-eye view seats of the global geopolitical panorama. The launching of the Apulia Food Systems Initiative reinvigorates long-standing commitments of securing regional food security and expands the circle of benefactors of dictums - from the high echelons of government to the grassroots.

Another exemplary figurehead seated at the head of this table was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose participation underscored India's strategic importance, particularly in discussions on artificial intelligence (AI) and energy during the Outreach Session on Africa and the Mediterranean. Modi highlighted India's advancements in AI and renewable energy, emphasising the need for international collaboration to harness AI for societal benefits and sustainable development. He stated, "AI must be used for the good of humanity, with ethical considerations at its core." Additionally, Modi advocated for enhanced energy cooperation, focusing on clean and sustainable energy solutions to combat climate change.

A significant outcome of the summit was the commitment to advancing the "India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor," which aims to enhance connectivity and economic integration across these regions. During his visit, Modi also stressed the importance of a rules-based international order and multilateralism, calling for "reformed multilateralism" that better reflects the realities of the 21st century.

G7's Diplomatic Revival: From Backwaters to Global Stage :-

In recent decades, international symposiums for arriving at collective solutions to remedy transnational challenges have been touted as utopian with scant substance behind the mask of partnership. The G7, in particular, was increasingly susceptible to being relegated to the backwaters of history even as forums such as the G20 self-styled itself as the “premier forum for international economic cooperation”. What this summit demonstrated, however, completely debunked this myth and allowed for the emergence of a coalition of support for notable agreements and a consensus on diplomatic support for conflict-stricken areas of the globe. Jeremy Shapiro, a former American diplomat and research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations succinctly tapped into the undercurrents of this rising wave of American leadership, stating that “the luxury of big summitry squabbles is pretty much gone”.

A lone sticking point in an otherwise smoothly formulated communique was the issue of abortion. While the Hiroshima communique specifically referred to abortion rights for women, Italian PM Georgia Meloni’s conservative standing translated into a resolution promoting “comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all” with no explicit referencing of abortion rights. An ensuing diplomatic tug of war between the US and Italy, however, left no dented impressions on the resulting memorandum.

While the G20 and associated larger-body conventions have been undermined of their effectiveness due to rising tensions with both Russia and China, smaller gatherings like the G7 are poised to be all the rage in the realm of multilateral diplomacy. How long does this momentum last? Will predicted electoral reversals in the political leadership of member countries allow for this momentum to sustain? In the recent past, former US President Donald Trump had advocated for the renewed membership of Russia in the summit, a move which, if repeated, could lead to a watering-down effect in reaching a consensus. Finally, does the crystallisation of hardline support under the banner of American leadership signal a return to the era of Cold War politics and the splitting of the global order into two dichotomous realms of ideology? Answers are yet to emerge.

Disclaimer: This paper is the author's individual scholastic contribution and does not necessarily reflect the organization's viewpoint.