This new briefing paper from the British Foreign Policy Group (BFPG) ahead of this weekend’s G7 Summit in Cornwall identifies the UK\u2019s primary objectives for the Summit, assesses their feasibility, and potential obstacles to achieving them.<\/p>\n
The paper finds that, while the UK has already been able to secure significant commitments in the lead-up to the Summit, the success of the UK\u2019s Presidency in 2021 remains in the balance \u2013 with many core objectives still lacking concrete financing commitments, and no guarantee of alignment around some of the most pressing and complex issues of the day. The lack of a consensus around the steps forward in engagement with China remains a particular problem, as this heterogeneity underpins the asymmetry of nations\u2019 perspectives and will on a host of other contingent issues. More broadly, the coronavirus pandemic, and the past five years of social and political instability, have intensified\u00a0domestic pressures to safeguard national interests.<\/p>\n
We conclude that the stakes of the G7 Summit could not be higher, representing a litmus test for the future of the liberal world order in the face of rapidly fragmenting threats. This G7 must mark the beginning of a new era in which connectivity and cooperation are able to be reframed as a source of resilience, not vulnerability. Leaders must consider how to ensure that alliances such as the G7 are able to function in a manner that supports domestic democratic governance \u2013 after all, the future of liberal democracy will be decided within, not between, nations. Beyond making the case for the self-interested and collective benefits of such actions, emphasising the language of burden-sharing and allies chipping in to play their part is likely to prove a successful route to persuasion.<\/p>\n
The briefing paper defines the UK\u2019s 10 key G7 objectives as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
READ THE BRIEFING<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n