As the G7 prepares for its annual meeting in Kananaskis, Canada, analysts are questioning the bloc’s relevance in today’s multipolar world. Once a cornerstone of Western economic coordination, the group now faces internal fractures and waning influence, with experts likening it to a “zombie institution” clinging to past glory.
The Unraveling Consensus
This year’s summit will notably abandon its traditional joint communiqué—a symbolic blow to the group’s unity. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is reportedly scrambling to secure agreements on pressing issues like AI governance and climate action, but divisions over trade, Ukraine, and Middle East policies persist. U.S. leadership under Donald Trump exacerbated tensions, but deeper historical forces may explain the G7’s decline.
Roots in the 1970s Crisis
The G7 emerged during a period of U.S. economic vulnerability. Post-WWII recovery in Germany and Japan eroded America’s dominance, while the 1971 collapse of the Bretton Woods system and OPEC’s oil price shocks reshaped global power dynamics. The bloc initially served as a crisis-management tool, expanding from G6 to G7 by 1976. However, its failure to adapt to 21st-century challenges—including rising multipolarity and climate emergencies—has left it struggling to maintain authority.
A New World Order?
While some blame Trump-era policies for the G7’s stagnation, the group’s challenges reflect broader shifts. Emerging economies and regional alliances increasingly shape global governance, raising questions about whether the bloc can evolve or will fade into irrelevance. As leaders convene in Canada, the world watches to see if the G7 can reinvent itself—or if its “coroner’s report” is already being drafted.
