|
by Dr. Binoy Kampmark
July 09,
2017
from
GlobalResearch Website
|
Dr.
Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn
College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University,
Melbourne. Email:
bkampmark@gmail.com. |
"I think it's very clear
that we could not reach
consensus,
but the differences were not
papered over,
they were clearly stated."
Angela Merkel
BBC News, Jul 8,
2017
Such gatherings and summits are not always smooth, but on a planet
bearing witness to a Trump presidency, there was always going to be
a chance for more excitement at the G20 meet at Hamburg.
Storm clouds have been
brewing over economics, trade, and security, and these threatened to
open with a deluge of resentment and threat. As proceedings
continued, a general sense did eek through discussions:
the G20 would have
been far more appropriately termed the G19+1.
Opening shots suggesting
this discord came from Jean-Claude Juncker, who described the
EU as being in "elevated battle mood" at the U.S. slide towards
protectionism, notably on promises to protect the steel industry.
"I won't want to tell
you in detail what we're doing. But what I would like to tell
you is that within a few days - we won't need two months for
that - we could react with countermeasures." [1]
Germany's Angela
Merkel has also expressed concern on several fronts.
Prior to the summit, she
insisted that U.S. departure from the Paris climate accord made
Germany, and the EU,
"more determined than
ever to lead it to success."
By virtue of
circumstance, she has become the anti-Trump alternative, drawing
enthusiastic moths to her veteran flame.
In a classic abdication of analytical responsibility, media outlets
have become "handshake" watchers, pioneering a new field of
irrelevance in what not to say.
-
How would the
handshake between Russia's Vladimir Putin and U.S. President
Donald Trump pan out?
-
Would Merkel
actually receive one?
-
Would Trump
return for a vigorous "rematch" with Macron? [2]
A survey from Vox was a
gaze-and-a-half.
Emmanuel Macron of
France and Justin Trudeau of Canada gave "adoring" treatment
to the German Chancellor. Putin "mansplained" himself, causing
Merkel's eyes to "roll". [3]
All eyes were on Trump-Putin, though there wasn't much to go on, at
least on the surface of the anticipated encounter.
Trump gave journalists
the usual serving:
"We look forward to a
lot of very positive things happening for Russia, for the United
States and for everyone concerned."
He then claimed it was,
"an honor to be with
you."
Putin reciprocated:
"I'm delighted to be
able to meet you personally Mr President. And I hope as you have
said, our meeting will yield concrete results."
Such results were
two-fold:
The leaders have been
engaged in a shadow play, with Trump's admiration for Putin tempered
by the necessities of imperial disapproval from establishment hacks.
On Thursday, the U.S.
president insisted that Russia was a destabilizing force and testing
the resolve of the Western powers.
Russia was to,
"crease its
destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its
support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran".
Sounding like a heavily
scripted necessity, Trump suggested Russia,
"join the community
of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and
in the defence of civilization itself".
When things did get down
to the matter of business, an often sterile affair notable for what
it omits, the G20 Leaders' Declaration, optimistically claiming to
shape "an interconnected world" suggested much in the way of
disconnection.
Old canards, albeit
shaken ones, persist.
"Expanding on the
results of previous presidencies, in particular the 2016 G20
Summit in Hangzhou, we decide today to take concrete actions to
advance the three aims of building resilience, improving
sustainability and assuming responsibility." [4]
There were the usual
nostrums: globalization had to be shared in its benefits, though
this has slowed; markets had to be kept open (a poke at
protectionism), though there was recognition,
"that the benefits of
international trade and investment have not been shared widely
enough."
But just to emphasize how
things have nudged, of only a little, away from the obsession with
open markets, the communiqué did note that states had a right to
protect their own markets.
How that objective fits
within the religion of free trade is more than problematic.
The same went for the acknowledgment of the sovereign right of
states on the issue of controlling refugee and migrant flows, a
situation that simply perpetrates an ongoing parochial order based
on "national interests and national security".
Responsibility seemed
less relevant.
The global financial system had to be rendered resilient through
reform; greater financial transparency and international tax
cooperation had to be fostered (the shadow of the Panama papers
looms).
Then came the issue of climate change.
Yes, the members remained
"collectively committed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions"
through a range of technologies using clean, efficient energy.
But the elephant in the
room did get described:
"We take note of the
decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the
Paris Agreement."
The reaction, one couched
in a diplomatic slap, was that the,
"Paris Agreement is
irreversible."
On the ground, protesters
were keeping the authorities busy.
The agendas there were
standard ones, but have been given a certain punchiness since 2016.
Figuring prominently in the gallery of detested subjects:
Trump, Putin, wealth
inequalities and climate change.
Such points were
expressed through looting, setting fire to vehicles, and violent
encounters with the police.
In sum, another summit with little resolution, another indicator of
a fractured international community, with more, rather
than less discordance, to come.
Trump was pleased enough:
"Law enforcement and
military did a spectacular job in Hamburg. Everybody felt
totally safe despite the 'anarchists'."
How flattering for the
otherwise toothless anarchists.
Notes
[1]
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/07/eu-battle-mood-us-protectionist-steel
[2]
http://globalnews.ca/news/3584470/g20-summit-key-moments/
[3]
https://www.vox.com/world/2017/7/7/15937780/merkel-putin-trump-trudeau-g20-russia-germany-macron-europe-eye-roll
[4]
https://www.g20.org/gipfeldokumente/G20-leaders-declaration.pdf
|
