Climate crisis, poverty, Terror and violence – urgent problems can only be solved together. However, more and more countries from scissors. What does this mean for groupings such as the G20? From Berlin, Sabine Kinkartz.
US President, Donald Trump did it with “America first”. Meanwhile, more and more countries ruthlessly their own interests in the center of the political and economic actions. “The Titanic is sinking and we only have a few boats on the water. As the instincts are to guard and the elbow”, explains it figuratively, Christian Kastrop, most recently at the OECD in Paris, now a Director at the Bertelsmann Foundation.
An assessment that ran like a red thread through the two days of the Global Solutions Summit in Berlin. A conference with 1600 delegates from 120 countries, to provide suggestions and ideas for the G20, the Association of the most important industrial and emerging countries in the world. Scientists, Economists and politicians will meet at the Global Solutions Summit, held now for the third Time. But the mood was so pessimistic.
Distrust and doubt, to take
The political problems had become in the past year, not less, as Dennis Snower, President of the Global Solutions summit. Worldwide, the disappointment with liberal democracy and the critique of capitalism to be increased further. Everywhere waxes distrust. Not only governments but also parties, international institutions, companies and the media. Even the embassies of non-governmental organizations would be in doubt.
However, it is not without reason, the Snower was gritty. “Tragically low,” is what the community of States to bring on the way. To little progress in the fight against climate change, when protectionist pressures, and to Mitigate the build-up of a global framework for Cybersecurity at the answers to humanitarian nightmares, and more “Failed States” when dealing with refugees, internally displaced persons and many other challenges.
Initially, the G20 functioned
Who would know this better than Angela Merkel. For 14 years she is Chancellor, and has driven the development of the G20 from a purely economic to a political body. “I know exactly how I was on the phone with US President George Bush and we agreed that it needs an international response to the financial crisis.” Then, in 2008, had all agreed not only to learn from the crisis, but also to address the immediate consequences. “China has played a major role with its economic stimulus programs; this has helped that the world economy is not slumping.”
Brexit, 5G, Bank merger – and Merkel was interviewed at the conference
Just a decade can be felt later, of so much Agreement, there’s barely anything. Merkel finds it “sad”. While the G20 work as a community. According to Argentina, the presidency has this year, Japan, at the end of June will be held in Osaka, the summit of heads of state and heads of government. On the Agenda are issues such as the future of work, education in the digital age, sustainable development, infrastructure financing, trade, climate change, social cohesion, the future of the policy, cooperation with Africa, ageing society and more.
The view over the edge of the plate is important
The Chancellor is convinced that the States can make the community on these areas only progress together. The international cooperation was “cumbersome and imperfect,” and for some the feeling of doing that, you could move more, if one looks only to his own interests, says Merkel. But that would be the wrong way to go. “The topics are global and can be solved in my opinion only, if we see the world as a community of Responsibility.”
Merkel is, and remains, a supporter of multilateralism. You will not be tired, to explain the pros and cons. Example: The World Trade Organization. In the WTO, the “Malaise would not have begun,” with Donald Trump. The goal of the world of trade barriers and free of customs duties, has been tangled up for years. Instead, there are now any quantity of bilateral trade agreements. “The are good, but basically only the second-best solution,” said Merkel. All were agreed that the WTO needs to be reformed. Like, the but again is unclear.
During a Reform, it is argued, have increased the so-called non-tariff barriers to trade, such as environmental regulations, health and safety, or different technical standards. This was an area for world trade, in the meantime, far more inhibiting than customs duties, the Chancellor.
Huawei and the case of the 5G network
But Germany is completely free of protectionism and isolation? In the discussion about the structure of the ultra-fast 5G mobile network is currently a matter for debate whether the Chinese Huawei group may be part of it. Security services warn of possible espionage or Cyber-attacks through the use of Chinese products. The United States also put pressure. Huawei rejects the accusations.
Merkel says that she does not think about it, “a participant, because he comes from a particular country, per se, to exclude”. The Federal government had decided to formulate instead of exclusion rather requirements for the technology used. “We should give everyone a Chance.” At the same time, one should not be naïve, because in China, very different laws than in Europe.
Proponent of multilateralism
How long the German head of government will remain in office is unclear. But it is certain that they will work until the end for the international cooperation. “We need to make the voice of multilateralism as strongly as possible, but that is not the policy alone, there is a need for a strong civil society,” Merkel said. It alone would have no future and would end up with only more violence.
“Think globally and act locally”, Merkel is a political recommendation. An opinion, which is also the Economist Dennis Snower represents. “The Integration of the world economy and our footprint on the global environment requires the development of a moral Narrative that lead us to cooperate on TRANS-national, sometimes global level, while we simultaneously be members of smaller units, the local or national challenges in the edit,” says he. In addition, political, economic, and technical progress should be linked with social progress. This is absolutely essential.