I’ve argued for years that annual G20 summits are much ado about nothing. But I’ve always recognized their one politically redeeming value.
That used to be the opportunity for the world’s political power brokers to forge collegial relationships. Even that illusion has crumbled.
G20 Summit India
President Putin is AWOL. But he has been for years. This year, Russia’s genocidal misadventure in Ukraine made it too politically untenable and personally risky for him to attend. Besides, thanks to the war crimes Russian soldiers are executing there, he has an ICC arrest warrant on his head.
Truth be told, though, Putin not attending this summit is like a skunk not showing up at the garden party.
However, President Xi not showing up is a real downer. Even President Biden, the leader of the free world, expressed disappointment.
Schmoozing – in separate camps
India is reportedly going all-out to make this summit about issues that top the agenda of developing countries, most notably North-South trade and climate change. India would even ban any mention of Ukraine if it could get away with it.
That, of course, is hardly surprising. After all, India has been leading developing countries, especially in Africa, in playing neutral where that war is concerned.
But there’s no denying that Ukraine will be the elephant in every room at this weekend’s summit. And, try as they might to feign collegiality, attendees will invariably split into pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine cliques.
Collegiality, then, will be more absent than a vegan at a BBQ. Hell, even MAGA Republicans and progressive Democrats on Capitol Hill might find more common ground.
Perhaps that’s why their host, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is using this summit as little more than a grand spectacle to launch his reelection campaign.
No doubt Modi resents Xi’s snub. But he’ll likely relish the optics of looking like Xi’s replacement as a more suitable leader of the developing world.
In a similar vein, China wants the world to see it as a suitable alternative to America as the most influential and respected superpower. But Xi’s snub, to say nothing of his support for Putin’s genocidal war in Ukraine, shows why the world will only ever see China as just a petulant, mercantile bully. The sooner all democracies de-risk or decouple from it, the better.