The leaders of the world’s biggest economies assemble in Bali this week for the annual G20 summit. They do so facing multiple interconnected global crises. Russia’s war in Ukraine, economic slowdown in China, heightened Sino-American tensions over Taiwan, precipitous worldwide increases in costs of living, and growing global food shortages provide a worrying backdrop to the summit.
Beyond this perfect storm of predicaments, the G20’s Indonesia hosts have set an ambitious agenda. Leaders are set to discuss issues spanning the environment, health, security and development. Busy and contentious days at the top table of global governance await.
Despite it being the most powerful political leaders sitting around the summit table, there is actually little that G20 leaders can do to address the multitude, magnitude and complexity of crises the world now faces. They meet at a time of conflict over the most dangerous geopolitical flashpoints and without consensus on how to respond to political, economic and social upheaval.
