After two years of on meetings, world leaders have returned to meet in person and there could not be a more scenic place than Rome to do so. What are the main results of the Italian-led G20, when viewed from the other side of the Atlantic
First of all, the proof – if ever needed – that diplomacy via Zoom does not work. The essence of diplomacy is personal contact, even more so when it comes to diplomacy at the highest level. First, because no matter how safe an over-the-air conversation can be, it is always exposed to potential prying ears. But above all because in face to face meetings different things can be said from what one would say in front of a screen. For Joe Biden, a man of extraordinary human qualities, face-to-face encounters are the essence of politics and he certainly didn’t miss the opportunity.
Each leader has their own domestic agenda in international negotiations, and Biden was no exception. While he was in Rome, tough negotiations on the budget and infrastructure law are continuing in Washington, so all White House communication tended to emphasize the importance of the president’s foreign policy to the American media. To be sure, the average American’s interest in foreign policy is quite limited, but anything that can help needs to be exploited right now. Biden is aware that he still has one year available – until the midterm 2022 elections – to change the country, using the opportunity offered for Covid-19.
From education – which by now has stratospheric prices and much lower quality than in Europe or Asia – to the lack of public health, not to mention basic rights for Europeans but non-existent in America such as sickness and paid holidays, to get to infrastructure ( try to take a train) and to the green economy, after Donald Trump ‘s four years there is a lot to do and little time to do it. Biden’s trip to Europe – according to his mandate and the second to Europe – was therefore physically abroad but in reality all designed to be resold to a domestic audience, in terms of benefits for average Americans. A result all the more necessary after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the less than stellar refugee management on the southern border of the country.
The visit was therefore carefully choreographed. The added advantage of Rome and the Vatican and the first visit to Rome of Biden, a devout Catholic and second Catholic president after John Fitzgerald Kennedy , was to Pope Francis . The two leaders are united by the advanced age and by the Catholic-progressive approach. The photos of the two laughing – compared to the long face of the Pope next to Trump – speak for themselves.
Biden left the meeting stating that the Pope told him that he is a good Catholic and that he can continue to take communion and therefore he followed up the words with the acts by going to Mass and receiving Communion at the church of Saint Patrick. It might seem like a private and insignificant act, but it was the highlight of the two days in Rome for the American president.
Catholics have long been viewed with suspicion, if not marginalized, in the United States. One of the reasons for the war of independence was the (Catholic) right of worship granted by the motherland to Quebec. Same reason for the war of 1812 against Great Britain. For the Puritans, Catholicism was an inherently authoritarian system that created political despotism. The suspicion towards Catholics has never subsided. To make matters more complicated, American Catholics are fiercely divided between progressives and conservatives. The theoretically most important issue that divides them is abortion is the fact that Biden opposes it on a personal level but not on a political level. Guided behind the scenes by people like the former apostolic nuncio and archenemy of Pope Francis, Monsignor Carlo Maria Vigano, conservative bishops argue that due to his political stance on abortion Biden cannot be admitted to communion. Obviously the real rift is politics: progressive Catholics tend to be democrats and conservatives tend to be republicans. The question is not insignificant in a country where the Latin vote – predominantly Catholic – is taking on ever greater weight. The hour and a half spent with Pope Francis would therefore be sufficient to justify Biden’s trip to Rome.
But the American president managed to capture other successes as well. One of the US administration’s political priorities was to approve the global corporate tax. As for countries like Italy that have a much higher tax rate, it will change little, for many US multinationals the new minimum global tax will make it much less convenient to relocate, to the benefit of the internal market, which is the real priority of this administration.
Add to this the probable restart of negotiations with Iran, an attempt at dialogue with Turkey and China and, last but not least, with France.
Going back to history, France supported the United States in the struggle for independence and is historically Washington’s first ally, but Paris has always been irritated by the special Washington-London relationship. The Aukus case did not help and relations are currently very tense. The meeting with Emmanuel Macron, equally meticulously choreographed and finished with a communique on the importance of European defense, an obsession of the French president, and of the coordination of European defense policy with NATO. Macron, who is under election in a competition that promises to be less simple than the previous one, however, expects tangible acts from the United States. Going by exclusion, and reasoning strategically, a compensation could come from the choice of the next NATO secretary general, usually a European yes, but chosen by the majority shareholder, the United States.
The French have historically kept one foot in and one out of the alliance and therefore never held the position of general secretary. However, after four Nordic general secretaries, it would be time for a southern country. With the wind blowing, it is likely to think of a woman: we know that Federica Mogherini is thinking about it, as is the former Croatian president and former deputy secretary general of NATO Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic . A secretary general of the East is nevertheless difficult to hypothesize due to the repercussions on the already tense relations with Russia and beyond and the Italians have already had Manlio Brosioand three interim secretaries general. The Portuguese have the UN secretary general, the Spaniards have not too far back in time Javier Solana . A French at NATO would be an undisputed and necessary victory for Macron, but also a way of anchoring the roaring French – the only nuclear power left in the European Union – to NATO. And you know, for the Americans, net of all the talk about the importance of European defense, the priority remains to maintain a NATO-centric European defense. In addition, Biden, whose Irish roots are very strong, is less prejudiced than previous presidents, while Secretary of State Antony Blinkenand French-speaking and pro-French. That this is the hidden meaning of the statement issued after the meeting with Macron and the most significant result of the Roman G20
(Photo: Twitter @EmmanuelMacron)
