The importance of holding, and hosting, G20
President Donald Trump has announced the United States will host the next meeting of the G20 in 2026 at his Doral Resort in Florida. This is major, and encouraging, news.
The Group of Twenty (G20) is a forum of 19 industrialized nations, plus the European Union, that along with other intergovernmental organizations has been a sustained target of Trump ire. A major MAGA theme is that these bodies take advantage of U.S. money and goodwill.
The G20 provides a structure for policy discussion and coordination on a wide range of matters, including security. Since the invasion of Ukraine, there has been pressure to remove Russia as a member but so far that has not succeeded. Russia was removed from the smaller G8, now the G7.
These forums provide useful opportunities for national leaders to do worthwhile business on the side. Just before the G20 gathered in India in 2023, President Joe Biden stopped in Hanoi, Vietnam, to confirm a greatly strengthened new strategic partnership.
The G20 began in 1999, spurred by the Asia financial crisis of 1997. Rapid response led by the United States mobilized public and private capital to avoid disastrous financial collapse. President Bill Clinton gave impressive leadership.
In 2010, G20 meetings took place in South Korea. The selection of the nation symbolized the exceptional development of a powerhouse economy – and political democracy.
Japan was a participant in the initial, predecessor G7 organization of economically advanced nations. The successor G20 has developed a wider network to include China, along with Brazil, India and other rapidly industrializing large economies of the world.
The fact that very poor people are becoming prosperous worldwide is good news for everyone. They represent new competitors, but also potential new consumers of our products, and investment partners. Wars are on balance less likely.
G20 gatherings automatically provide an opportunity to highlight success stories of expanding political stability and modernization. Indonesia hosted the G20 in 2021. In 1998, opponents forced Indonesia’s long-time autocratic president and former general Muhammad Suharto from power. Since then, the nation has had representative government.
Indonesia’s external conflicts today are largely technical and legal, notably the maritime disputes which generally involve the nations of East and Southeast Asia. While the dictatorship has ended, corruption remains a problem.
The situation used to be quite different. During the height of the Cold War, Indonesia was a pivotal potential prize among developing nations. Flamboyant nationalist President Sukarno played the Soviet Union and United States against one another. CIA efforts to bring Sukarno down failed, greatly weakening U.S. influence regionally
In consequence, cooperation between Indonesia and the Soviet Union expanded. This development was extremely important, though rarely mentioned, in the decision for large-scale U.S. military intervention in Vietnam in 1965.
This and other important history is forgotten.
British forces, with Australian and New Zealand allies, defeated Indonesia attacks on Malaysia. Earlier, Britain defeated a Communist insurgency in Malaya, today part of Malaysia. Their strategy remains highly germane.
Today, China’s expansionism is the focus of a growing array of economic and military collaborative ventures. The established “Five Eyes” intelligence cooperation among Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States should receive fresh attention and emphasis.
Today, the Cold War is over, though the potentially explosive tensions between China and the United States and other nations show utopia has not yet arrived.
President Trump deserves commendation regarding the G20.
• Arthur I. Cyr, acyr@carthage.edu, of Northbrook, teaches political economy at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is a former vice president of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations and author of “After the Cold War— American Foreign Policy, Europe and Asia.”