Politics G20 summit in Brazil: Ambitious Lula and "lame ducks"
The Sugar Loaf Mountain covered in clouds, heavily armed military on the Copacabana and comparatively relaxed inhabitants due to additional public holidays - this is how the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro is welcoming the participants of the G20 summit. Host and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wants to get the heads of state and government of the 20 most important industrialized and emerging countries to commit to the fight against hunger and climate change at the two-day meeting starting on Monday.
A restructuring of the international system is also one of the declared goals of the Brazilian G20 presidency. Lula has already repeatedly criticized the UN Security Council as untrustworthy and accused international financial institutions such as the World Bank of interfering too much in the internal affairs of countries. Lula sees Brazil as the mouthpiece of the global South and wants to make the emerging countries more heard.
Scholz: Making a multipolar world a good world
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is open to the idea. "New powerful countries are appearing on the world stage and that is a good thing. But at the same time, this reorganization of the world naturally means that many things have to be discussed and renegotiated," he said before his departure for Rio de Janeiro. The aim is to make this multipolar world a good world.
President Lula, who is known for his socio-political innovations, is also focusing on innovations this time. The weekend before the G20, a social summit was held for the first time, at which the climate, affordable housing and the rights of indigenous people were discussed in the converted halls of the new port in Rio. Lula wants to show that the G20 is not isolating itself, but rather involving the civilian population.
He promised to take the results of the social summit to the G20 meetings. And called on people to protest if the leaders do not meet the demands. However, in view of a number of international crises, "lame ducks" - outgoing politicians with limited influence - and the return of Donald Trump to the White House, which is already casting its shadow, expectations are dampened.
Trump at the gates - decisions with a short expiration date?
Scholz's coalition in Berlin has collapsed, US President Joe Biden is leaving office in January - so both are traveling to Rio as political lightweights. After Trump's first term in office, Biden assured his partners that they could rely on the USA - he emphasized the importance of international alliances and agreements.
His predecessor and successor Trump, on the other hand, relies on isolationism and "America First" in foreign policy; cooperation and communication at eye level are not part of the Republican's political style. He also wants to turn back the clock on climate policy. On the big stage in Rio, Biden will have to face the fact that many of his achievements of the past four years are likely to be undone.
Ukraine not invited and not officially on the agenda
In Rio, the Democrat will once again have the opportunity to campaign for support for Ukraine. After the outbreak of Russia's war of aggression, Biden rallied the West behind Ukraine and supported Kiev with billions in arms supplies. This is likely to be history under Trump - the Republican wants to end the war quickly and has made it clear on several occasions that military aid is likely to dry up soon.
Lula does not even want to bring up the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine at the G20 summit. "We have not invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending. We do not believe that this G20 forum will be a place to discuss the war between the two countries," he said in a recent interview on French broadcaster TF1. A trip to Rio could have been risky for Putin anyway, as he is the subject of an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
The G20 group is the only discussion format in which Russia and the NATO states still sit around a table with high-ranking representatives. Scholz, who only spoke to Putin on Friday for the first time in almost two years and was criticized for doing so, is not planning to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who represents Putin, in Rio. However, according to sources close to him, he will talk about the Ukraine war with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is considered Putin's most important ally.
Lula gives hope to the poorest
In any case, Lula's priority at the summit is the fight against hunger. The G20 summit will open on Monday with the launch of the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. The member countries, including Germany, want to share their experiences in the group and coordinate measures for food security. During his first terms in office, Lula lifted millions of Brazilians out of abject poverty with the "Fome Zero" (Zero Hunger) program and family social assistance.
"I want to say to the millions of starving people in the world, to the children who don't know if they will get anything to eat: Maybe today there is nothing, but tomorrow there will be something," said Lula.
SDA
