The Times: The G7 Summit is an opportunity for the world's largest democracies to develop "global leadership"

The British newspaper (The Times) considered in its editorial that the summit of the Group of Seven industrialized countries, which is being hosted by the resort of Cornwall, southwest of the United Kingdom, is a favorable opportunity for the leaders of the major democracies in the world, to find global leadership in the face of the most pressing challenges.

The newspaper said that expectations from this summit are high, because the opportunity for the richest industrialized countries in the world to crystallize this type of leadership was rarely greater than it is now, and the consequences of failing to achieve this endeavor have never been clearer than now.

She stated that in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, the annual meeting of the leaders of the seven countries seemed to be overshadowed by the Group of Twenty, a larger group of economically powerful emerging countries, led by China.

During the 2018 summit, it appeared that former US President Donald Trump had dealt the final blow to the group's work, when he withdrew from the Canada summit early and refused to sign the final statement, deeming the forum obsolete.

But his successor, Joe Biden - the newspaper adds - has now arrived at the resort of Cornwall with a determination to show that "the United States is back, and that the world's democracies stand together to confront the toughest challenges and issues most important to our future," he said.

The circumstances of the current summit seem conducive to achieving some kind of success, especially with an American president who, during his first five months in the White House, managed to change the world's perceptions of the United States.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center in Washington indicated that confidence in US leadership rose again among close US allies.

Confidence in President Biden's ability to "do the right thing" has also risen among 12 of Washington's key allies in Europe and Asia, to 75%, compared to 17% under Trump.

Moreover - adds the Times - Biden will find willing partners among the other G7 leaders, such as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who - as host of the summit - considers this meeting his first opportunity since Brexit, to demonstrate Britain's standing. world” on the international stage.

As for European leaders and the prime ministers of Canada and Japan, it is also an opportunity to restore stability and predictability in their relations with the United States, after 4 volatile years during which they were sometimes treated as adversaries rather than allies.

Trump fights

However, the success of the current summit requires - according to the newspaper - more than just the absence of "Trump quarrels", and at least the participants will come out with one easy victory after the Corona pandemic, which often fueled the divisions between them, amid the scramble for equipment, vaccines and closing the borders, where it is expected That the seven countries commit to providing one billion doses of vaccine to developing countries, of which 500 million - according to reports - will be provided by America, while Britain will provide 100 million doses.

On the other hand, achieving measurable results during the summit will not be easy, especially in issues such as how to deal with the challenges posed by China and Russia, addressing the problem of climate change and promoting free and fair trade.

There are fundamental differences between the member states in several files, not the least of which is how to confront the influence of Beijing and Moscow, where Germany - for example - adopts a less "confrontational" approach to the rise of Chinese power, while the European Union countries went through difficult labors before adopting a united front in response to Russian provocations.

The prospects for a broad agreement will also be further complicated by the presence of India, South Korea, South Africa and Australia, which have been invited to join a broader coalition of democracies, and almost all of these countries do not share the seven countries' vision, especially in areas such as trade and climate change.