The leaders of the world’s major economies are gathering in South Africa for the G20 Summit between November 22–23, and they will find themselves at a crossroads confronting a global landscape more fractured, polarized, and competitive than at any time since the end of the Cold War. What was once conceived as a practical forum for coordinating economic stabilization and crisis management has become an arena for ideological rivalry, competing development models, and divergent visions for the future of global governance. The cooperative spirit within the G20 has already been undermined by a rift between host South Africa and the United States, triggered by Washington’s continued adherence to the Trump-era boycott stance. The United States, the G20’s largest economy is not attending. But Russia, along with 19 of the world’s other largest economies, is.
This year’s summit…
