The G7 Summit, hosted by Prime Minister of Italy Georgia Meloni in the historic and beautiful Apulia region from June 13–15, has come at a time when the world is facing multiple consequential changes and challenges. The two ongoing wars in Europe and the Middle East confront them where their own roles have been questioned. The liberal order is under tremendous stress, for which its originators and founders are equally responsible for its near demise.
Undermining the multilateralist regimes and institutions, they resorted to unilateral measures, arbitrary sanctions, and prescriptive mandates, which they did not follow themselves. The seeds of a new alternative were, to a great extent, sown by them. The G7 itself was founded in 1975, when the ‘Oil Crisis ‘and embargo by the Arabs, in the wake of the 1973 war and US role therein, had stretched the major economies to the hilt.
Five decades on, this 50th meeting has faced similar challenges, which have been farmed out by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Israel-Hamas war. Both the wars have the potential to engulf the region and the world in flames. Talk of nuclear Armageddon has become fashionable as newer autonomous weapon systems are being flaunted with alacrity.
Moreover, China has become the existential challenge for the G7, and the group is still struggling to contain the impact by using standard, arbitrary approaches and measures that are only leading to greater alignment between Russia and China .
