G7's Cornwall rendezvous

The group's relevance was tested again

The first in-person summit of the Group of Seven (G7) since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic underlined the return to conventional diplomacy after the turmoil of the Donald Trump years, with the United States under Joe Biden reasserting its leadership of global governance. But even as leaders from the United States, Germany, France, Britain, Japan, Canada, and Italy exchanged fist- and elbow-bumps at the picturesque summer resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall, the old questions of whether meets by this 46-year-old informal grouping of the world’s wealthiest democracies can meaningfully address the world’s crises remained as relevant as ever.