G7 meeting and relevance of West

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  G7 meeting and relevance of West

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Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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1. Liberal, secular West: The Group of Seven (G7) countries represents the best that Western civilisation stands for, at least theoretically. It held its ministerial meeting in London in May 2021. The West needs to rebuild its unity and strength, against the perception of "a declining west".
2. Declining West: The notion of a declining West has been around for some time now, but its recent credibility is rooted in the dramatic rise of China and its presumed capacity to overturn prolonged western dominance of the international system. The America that got China into the WTO - world trading system, in 2002 - is seen in decline. China's rapid economic growth, massive military modernisation, impressive lead in new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, spectacular Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that has only now run into some trouble, growing capacity to shape international institutions, enhanced political influence across the world, and deepening strategic partnership with Russia has changed the narrative.
3. Trump's damage: Reinforcing this notion was the chaotic period of the four years of Donald Trump presidency. Trump trashed US alliances, abandoned America’s global leadership, walked out of global institutions, and tore up agreements signed by his predecessor. 
4. Arrival of Joe Biden: US President Joe Biden has brought order and purpose to governance at home and the economy is roaring back on the strength of a huge economic stimulus and mass vaccination. Biden brought a new vigour to American foreign policy as well, by revitalising old US alliances in Europe and Asia and building new global coalitions. Promising “extreme competition” with China, Biden has signalled that America is not willing to go gently in that front.
5. The Indian situation: Britain invited India, along with Australia, South Korea and South Africa, to join the G-7 ministerial meeting and the summit thereafter. This is rooted in the conviction that Delhi must be an integral part of a powerful coalition of democracies to shape the global order in the 21st century. India seemed well poised to seize the new strategic opportunities coming its way, but the disastrous handling of the second wave of the coronavirus has set back hopes for an early rebound of the Indian economy. In fact, questions are raised on the basic capacity of the Indian state to take on a larger international role. Seen together with global dismay at Delhi’s democratic backsliding in recent years, India’s international prospects are dull. 
6. Summary: India’s society is resilient enough to recover and redeem its global possibilities. The West has to help it, as much as it has to help itself. 

Read more on - Polity | Economy | Schemes | S&T | Environment

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