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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, July 9, 2017
G20 Hamburg Summit
There is no denying that Merkel made capital of the G20 Hamburg Summit. We saw Tri-lateral diplomacy in action between Germany, France and China.
( July 8, 2017, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) With
so many world leaders attending the twelfth G20 Summit over the weekend
of 7 & 8 July 2017, we can easily say, “imagination is on offer, if
not on sale,” at the Messehallen Convention Centre, for diplomatic
deals to be initiated, if not done, among leading nations and agree on a
common framework of future action.
Hamburg is Europe’s third largest port with a cosmopolitan atmosphere,
noted for its brand new architectural marvel, the Elb philharmonie
Concert Hall, where leaders will gather for dinner on the first day of
the summit.
They say everything at such gatherings is settled at least, in
principle, or “kicked into grass,” on the first day of the Summit.
Consensual agreement is the order of the day at these gatherings to
showcase a united front. Around 4800 journalists from around the world
are covering the event, with the summit highly choreographed with little
left for chance. Any policy differences, such as Climate Change, free
trade and migration will undoubtedly be papered over from behind closed
doors, ahead of final communiqué. Serious disagreements exist among
world leaders among major issues. Non contentious issues such as, action
on future health epidemics, global taxation perhaps, money launderings
may feature.
Chancellor Angela Merkel chose this city where she was born, a hub with
the most potent symbol of left wing dissent, perhaps, to send a message
to the world that among unrest, among disorder, there is a sense of
“enforced” overwhelming order. She is known for her ability to forge
sensitive compromise among leaders with disparate views. It does take a
lot of courage to keep Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Recep Erdogan and
besides Malcolm Turnbull of Australia and Joko Widodo of Indonesia
together and yet be separate, that they don’t tear each other apart.
This embodies the world of today?
The so called, “diplomatic process”?
The cohesiveness of the G20 process is witnessed by the formal and
informal sessions on the sidelines of the Summit. This is a way to keep
everyone at the G20 “strategically amused.” Each of the above leaders
has come with their own agenda. It is indeed a job to keep them engaged
and in some way to downsize their differences. This is undoubtedly a
tall order, no mean task.
President Trump is having a break, a release from the so called “media
engagement” back in the States. He wants to build bridges to Russia, for
his own reasons. He wishes it seems, to prepare for the coming (no one
knows when) confrontation with China on its actions or inactions with
North Korea and the South China Sea?
Despite the well rehearsed stance of the “America First” policy and its
withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the German
Presidency of this Summit wants to make the most of the “unreeled”
public policy for environmental sustainability, gender equality and
social inclusiveness, without upsetting America.
The German agenda is quite naturally to support a European “destiny”
independent of the US or even fear of Russia. There is nothing new about
Franco-German cooperation, but the degree of cooperation has “waxed and
waned” over years. With President Emmanuel Macron, whose vision is none
other than that of Gen.de Gaulle’s vision of France; there is common
cause between President Macron and Chancellor Merkel.
The likely beneficiary of the new Franco-German European outlook will
undoubtedly be China. We saw the facial expression, the physical gesture
and the way Angela Merkel accompanied President Xi Jinping after the
welcoming ceremony for leaders at the Summit. The body language spoke
volumes for China/Europe friendship.
How did Angela Merkel square the circle of friendship?
There is no denying that Merkel made capital of the G20 Hamburg Summit.
We saw Tri-lateral diplomacy in action between Germany, France and
China.
Many will want to know how Merkel cleverly brought back Russia into the
fold of World Leaders. Since President Obama had isolated Russia on many
fronts, including closing down Russian embassy offices in and around
New York
before he left office, We also noted President Putin was isolated not only from the G8 but also isolated from Europe because of the continuing sanctions related to actions in Ukraine.
before he left office, We also noted President Putin was isolated not only from the G8 but also isolated from Europe because of the continuing sanctions related to actions in Ukraine.
Angela Merkel worked out a diplomatic strategy to arrange a one to one
private meeting between President Trump and President Putin to coincide
with the timing of the meeting on Climate Change among all other
committed Powers. Was it a concession or a diplomatic move? Who knows?
This suited everybody.
President Putin hoped to get some leverage from this one to one meeting,
with President Trump to remove this exclusion. President Trump, in
return, wanted President Putin to put in a word to deescalate the North
Korean ICBM crisis with China? It was common knowledge that President
Putin and Russian diplomats knew that in the current “US climate,” any
great breakthroughs were or are undoubtedly difficult if not impossible.
But everything is possible in diplomacy, with the first, one to one,
face to face meeting, between Russia and U.S.
A meeting on the sidelines with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for a trade
deal with Japan after BRExit, was what Merkel enabled from the Summit
for Theresa May.
Invited Guests
More than 20 Heads of State or Governments as well as international
organisations attended the G20 Hamburg Summit, with Guest invitees, the
Presidents and Prime Ministers of Guinea, Senegal, Kenya, Netherlands,
Spain, Norway, Vietnam and Singapore. Each of these guests was chosen by
the German Presidency, for their own reasons.
Uninvited Guests
Every summit is blighted by protests of all sorts, with thousands of
demonstrations, marching pageants, anarchists and left wing radicals
with banners proclaiming “Capitalism will end anyway, you decide when?”
the Green Peace activists project the slogan “No Trump, Yes Paris.” and
the anarchists. wanted to destroy everything in front of them. Over
20,000 police with dogs, horses, helicopters, water cannon, pepper
sprays and 4.8 miles of steel barriers had to be deployed to prevent
anarchy by the 80,000 demonstrators.
The most laughable event that took place was the First Lady of United
States, Melania Trump, thanks to these demonstrations, was holed in her
luxury hotel room unable to get out and participate in some the events
for dignitaries.