Author: Jonathan Luckhurst

The G20 Osaka Legacy, from Global Summitry to the Korean DMZ

Picture of a Bridge and pagode in Osaka

The Group of Twenty (G20) Osaka Summit was relatively successfully, with progress on important policy issues, despite the awkward compromises on climate and trade. It might be remembered for its striking similarities with the preceding Buenos Aires G20 Summit. The unusually short, seven-month gap between the two summits left the core agenda largely unchanged, partly reflecting the broad continuities in world politics.

Prospects and Possibilities for Japan’s 2019 G20 Osaka Summit

Picture: Osaka SkylineWe hosted a one-day international conference at Soka University in Tokyo on December 10, 2018, on the theme “Prospects and Possibilities for Japan’s 2019 G20 Osaka Summit.” This was held shortly after the inauguration of the Japanese Presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20), which will be compressed by holding an early summit, on 28-29 June 2019. Conference participants stressed their doubts about the capacities of the G20 to meet contemporary global governance challenges, especially due to failures to implement previous summit commitments and the growing tensions between members. They emphasized the important role of stakeholders in holding the G20 to account, by focusing on policy compliance and implementation.

The German G20 Presidency and International Cooperation in Uncertain Times

Photo: Coin Stack

A fiscal stimulus for a troubled economy.

The German presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) begins on December 1, 2016, in an even more difficult political context than the previous Chinese presidency. Due to the German federal elections scheduled for the second half of 2017, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government moved forward the Hamburg G20 Summit to July 2017, intensifying the time-constraints on negotiators. Despite the circumstances, the forum should act with more urgency to achieve sustainable and inclusive global economic growth. In what could be a decisive year for the international economy, contributions from other members will be crucial.