Dhe G20, which emerged in 2009 during the global financial crisis, was an attempt to integrate the most important emerging countries into the world order, which was then still largely dominated by the West. That actually worked for a while, even if the agreements in such mergers are sometimes vague.
But now the group could become the first prominent victim of the new multipolarity. The tensions that have existed between the West on the one hand and Russia and China on the other since Putin’s attack on Ukraine will most likely be on full display again at the summit in New Delhi this weekend. If the Indian hosts fail to reach a final declaration, serious questions will arise about the future of the format.
Mergers of camps
This is also due to the fact that both camps now have their own associations. The G7, which originally served as an informal exchange of ideas on economic issues among the leading industrial nations at the time, has become an alliance of Western democracies in which measures against Russia and China are also coordinated.
On the other hand, Beijing in particular is trying to expand rival organizations, as was recently observed at the BRICS summit in South Africa. The fact that Xi Jinping is not coming to New Delhi has more than just something to do with the difficult Indian-Chinese relations. It is also an expression of disinterest in an event that is heavily influenced by the West, especially the United States.
The fact that there is dissent not only about the war in Ukraine, but also about climate protection and the debts of developing countries, shows again that the West is on the defensive internationally on many issues. Not everyone has reached this point, especially in Berlin. However, it will further restrict the scope of German foreign policy.