Leaders in crisis and ‘crippled’ by internal political misadventures are attempting to relaunch at an international level, among the olive trees of Borgo Egnazia. The G7 summit could be the springboard that allows us to emerge from the deep crises that are gripping some of the protagonists of the summit. Who, even overcoming internal divisions within the G7, are doing everything to present themselves as reliable actors in a particularly difficult situation. It is not an easy task given the problems that have recently affected Macron, Scholz and Sunak and the troubles of Biden, who appeared particularly tired today.
Also for this reason – beyond the conflict on abortion – everything will be done so that the meeting can produce significant results on the issues at the center of the discussions, such as the war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza, migration and artificial intelligence. The common drive is therefore to relaunch the role of the G7 itself as a renewed and possible point of reference in a historical moment in which geopolitical balances are changing rapidly and in which the new global disorder leaves little space for multilateralism and international dialogue.
The common interest is therefore to bring the G7 in Borgo Egnazia to a ‘success’ that can relaunch the image of some of the protagonists. First of all Macron and Scholz, who have never been so weak in years. The French president suffered a real shock in the European elections, with the victory of Marine Le Pen’s party, which forced him to call legislative elections in the coming weeks. Scholz saw his party finish behind not only the CDU but also Alternative for Germany: a sensational and almost humiliating overtaking. Sunak is now at the end of his time in Downing Street. On July 4, in the United Kingdom elections, the Conservative Party will be swept away by the return of Keir Starmer’s Labor Party.
Biden is not going through a happy period either. The electoral campaign against Trump is particularly tough, the vicissitudes of his son Hunter weigh on the family balance. The American president appeared tired today. He arrived late for two summit appointments and preferred not to attend the dinner offered by President Mattarella to the G7 leaders in Brindisi. This, on the other hand, is his second trip to Europe in a few days, after the one for the celebrations of the Normandy landings.
Prime Minister Meloni is certainly in a different mood than her colleagues after the positive result at the European elections and expects great results from the Borgo Egnazia summit. But, as mentioned and for the reasons already mentioned, a good outcome of the summit is in everyone’s interest. A breath of fresh air for leaders who find themselves in a situation that was perhaps unexpected, at least in these terms, only a few weeks ago.
The first point is the overall relaunch of the role of the G7 itself, which inevitably fell into a shadow after the war in Ukraine and the increasingly strong opposition not only with Russia, but also, progressively, with China. Instead, what the West lacks is precisely a forum for dialogue where we can share positions and outline common strategies to face the great challenges of the beginning of the millennium.
And these challenges are all here on the table of the seven Big Ones in Puglia: support for Zelensky’s Ukraine, support for Biden for the plan for a truce in Gaza, real and concrete relations with Africa, the common management of migration , the epochal challenge of artificial intelligence. A strong and clearly legible response must come from Borgo Egnazia. The seven Greats, trying to overcome personal crises, are working on this around the large olive tree table of the Apulian hermitage.
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